Large pore ti-beta zeolite with very low aluminium content: An active and selective catalyst for oxidations using hydrogen peroxide

The new large pore Ti-Beta zeolite has been synthesized in a wide range of chemical compositions and its activity and selectivity in the epoxidation of olefins and the hydroxylation of phenol has been tested. Several new synthetic procedures have been developed yielding innovative materials with chemical compositions out of the range previously known for zeolite Beta and with a predesigned composition profile in the crystallites. Catalysts with a reduced A1 content of up to 0.1 Al atoms per unit cell of 64 tetrahedra and below with all the A1 confined into the very inner core of the crystallites show a good activity in the epoxidation of n-hexane with an enhanced selectivity to the epoxide. Optimization of the catalyst and of the reaction conditions for the selective hydroxylation of phenol can yield a valuable catalyst for this industrially important reaction.