Graphite oxide activated zeolite NaY: applications in alcohol dehydration

Abstract

A mixture of graphite oxide (GO) and the zeolite NaY (Si/Al = 5.1) was used to dehydrate various alcohols to their respective olefinic products. Using conditions optimized for 4-heptanol (15 wt% GO-NaY (1:1 wt/wt), 150 degrees C, 30 min), a series of secondary and tertiary aliphatic alcohols were cleanly dehydrated in moderate to excellent conversions (27.5-97.2%). Several primary alcohols were also dehydrated, although higher catalyst loadings (200 wt% GO-NaY (1 : 1) and longer reaction times (3 h) were required. The enhanced dehydration activity was attributed to the ability of GO to convert NaY to an acidic form and without the need for ammonium cation exchange and/or high temperature calcination.