Porous Solid Acid Catalysts, Methods of Manufacturing the Same, and Methods of Manufacturing Organics Molecules Using the Same

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This patent describes a novel solid acid catalyst with a uniquely tailored porous structure featuring at least two distinct pore size distributions. These catalysts, derived from crystalline zeolites such as USY zeolite, beta zeolite, or ZSM5, are manufactured using steam treatment to create a bimodal or multimodal pore network. The catalysts enable highly efficient nucleophilic organic reactions—such as Michael additions, epoxide ring-opening, and condensation reactions—by improving the accessibility of reactants to active acid sites and facilitating product recovery, often without using environmentally harmful solvents. The invention also includes methods for producing both the catalyst and organic molecules using this catalyst.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Synthesis of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals via nucleophilic addition or condensation reactions using the tailored zeolite-based solid acid catalysts.
• Production of industrial organic intermediates such as amino acids, esters, amines, imidazoles, benzoxazoles, and oxazolines.
• Manufacture of specialty chemicals through epoxide ring-opening and catalytic additions (e.g., β-amino alcohols, tetrahydropyranyl ethers).
• Organic synthesis in environmental-friendly, solvent-free (or reduced solvent) conditions minimizing hazardous waste.
• Catalysis in laboratory and industrial-scale processes where easy catalyst separation and recycling are important.
• Use in reactions that conventionally require strong, corrosive liquid acids, thus offering a safer and greener alternative.
• Applications in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical industries seeking to improve yields and sustainability.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly improves reactant diffusion and accessibility to catalytic sites, leading to higher yields and shorter reaction times.
• Enables environmentally friendly synthesis by reducing or eliminating the need for hazardous solvents and wasteful separation processes.
• Facilitates easy product isolation due to the solid nature of the catalyst—simply filter to recover product and catalyst.
• Catalyst is reusable and recyclable, reducing operational costs and environmental impacts.
• Highly thermally stable, allowing for repeated regeneration and long operational life.
• Enhanced selectivity and activity compared to conventional mono-modal zeolite catalysts and liquid acid catalysts.
• Reduces risk of product contamination and corrosion compared to using liquid acids, improving process safety.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

This invention relates to a process for synthesizing organic molecules utilizing a novel porous acid catalyst. The inventive processes are generally nucleophilic reactions employing a solid acid catalyst that has a pore size distribution having at least two different modes. The properties of the catalysts allow for relatively high product yields while at the same time provide the benefits of other solid catalysts, these benefits being manageable catalyst recycle and reduction and/or elimination of environmentally unfriendly solvents. The novel catalyst can be prepared by steam treating conventional crystalline zeolites under conditions sufficient to produce tailored pore size distributions having two or more modes of average of pore sizes, and optionally forming them into catalyst forms and/or particles. Accordingly, this invention also relates to the manufacture of the catalyst.