Synergistic effect of bialkali-promoted MgO or CaO on oxidative methylation of toluene with methane: a selective route to styrene and ethylbenzene

Abstract

A new class of highly basic (superbasic) catalysts, prepared by promoting MgO or CaO with various binary alkali metal compounds such as NaA + CsA, LiA + CsA, LiA + NaA or KA + CsA (A = OH^–, Q^–, AcO^–, CO₃^2– or NO₃^–) is found to exhibit a remarkable synergistic effect in the selective formation of styrene and ethyl benzene by oxidative methylation of toluene with methane.