Photooxidation and dark thermal oxidation of 1-butene on cationic forms of zeolite Y: a spectroscopic study

Abstract

Na, Sr, Ca, Mg and La-containing samples of zeolite Y were employed for the photooxidation of 1-butene with UV-visible light at ambient temperatures. The reactions yielded combinations of saturated and unsaturated carbonyl compounds depending on the process parameters and the type of the material utilised. Oxidation of the alkene on cationic forms of zeolite Y was also achieved in dark conditions at 30 °C. Our results demonstrated that both activity and selectivity of the oxidation were strongly affected by the cation size to charge ratio and the reaction conditions.