1-Hexene Isomerization over Sulfated Mesoporous Ta Oxide: The Effects of Active Site and Confinement

Template-synthesized meso- and microporous materials composed of transition metal oxides are attractive solid catalysts.1,2 Since the first synthesis of group V mesoporous metal oxides (Nb, Ta- TMS1) were described in 1996,3 only a few papers have been reported on their catalytic properties.4-6 These materials have potential applications in petrochemical processes because of facile tuning of pore size, moderate thermal stability, high surface area, and high surface acidity, all of which are crucial properties in industrial catalysis. The relatively large pores (12-30 Å) overcome the size constraint of most zeolites, allowing more facile diffusion of bulky substrates, while the very high surface areas (200-1200 m2/g) create a high concentration of active sites per mass of material. .........