Ionic liquid immobilization on carbon nanofibers and zeolites: Catalyst design for the liquid-phase toluene chlorination

Abstract The environmental-friendly chlorination reaction of toluene by trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA, C 3 N 3 O 3 Cl 3 ) was investigated applying immobilized ionic liquids (ILs) on different supports. Ionic liquids were grafted either on carbon nanofibers (CNF) or encapsulated in zeolites. Their influence on the chlorination activity as well as on the selectivity in different chlorinated products was studied. An unusually high selectivity toward meta -chlorotoluene was achieved, up to 36%. Hence, the selectivity could be tuned to produce either expected ortho-/para -chlorotoluene or meta -chlorotoluene with a proper support choice.