Fast tailoring of the acid-base properties in the NaX zeolite by cesium-exchange under microwave heating

摘要

NaX zeolite can show an acidic or basic behaviour depending on the degree of ion-exchange of sodium by cesium cations.The acid-base properties of the X zeolite are tunable by means of the cesium-exchange degree.This allows X zeolite to be prepared according to the needs of any determined reaction.Moreover,the cesium-exchange is carried out in a short period of time(5 min)when microwave radiation is used as the heat source.In addition,microwave heating decreases the volume of the ion-exchange solution.Only one cesium-exchange(28 cesium atoms per unit cell)under microwave heating was enough to annul the acid behaviour of the NaX zeolite in the toluene alkylation.