Catalysis by porous heteropoly compounds

This paper attempts to review recent works on catalysis of porous heteropoly compounds. The salts of heteropolyacids having Keggin structure with large cations like Cs+ are porous materials. For Cs hydrogen salts, the pore width can be controlled by the Cs content. Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40 has the largest amount of protons on the surface among the acidic Cs salts and possesses pores with bimodal distribution in the micro and meso region. Efficient performances were demonstrated for acid-catalyzed reactions such as skeletal isomerization of η-butane in solid-gas system, alkylation and acylation in solid-liquid system, and hydrolysis and hydration in solid-water system. A microporous salt, Cs2.2H0.8PW12O40, exhibited reactant shape selectivity towards direct decomposition of esters. Furthermore, an ultramicroporous bifunctional catalyst, Pt–Cs2.1H0.9PW12O40 of which the pore width is around 5 A, exhibits reactant shape selectivity for hydrogenation of alkenes and oxidation of hydrocarbons, and product shape selectivity for skeletal isomerization of η-butane.