Conversion of 1- and 2-tetralone over HY zeolite

Abstract

Conversion of 1- and 2-tetralone was investigated over acid HY zeolite under various reaction conditions in the vapor phase. Reactions were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor at 300, 400 and 500 °C in hydrogen atmospheric pressure. It was found that 1- and 2-tetralone are thermally unstable and thermal reaction has a contribution, particularly at high temperatures. The reactivity of 2-tetralone was significantly higher than that of 1-tetralone. This behavior is more pronounced in the presence of acid HY zeolite. For both isomers, the main products were naphthol, coupling compounds (4-ring), naphthalene and tetralin. Trace amounts of dihydronaphthalene, ring-contraction and ring-opening product were also observed. At high temperatures, isomerization and dehydration of naphthol were observed over the HY zeolite. It seems that on the acidic zeolite, hydrogen transfer plays a significant role in determining the reaction path. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.