Tungsta supported on zirconia and alumina catalysts: temperature-programmed desorption/reaction of methanol and pyridine DRIFTS studies

The temperature-programmed reaction/desorption of methanol over tungsta supported on zirconia and gamma alumina (WO3/ZrO2 and WO3/γ-Al2O3) catalysts was monitored by mass spectrometry. The selectivity toward dimethyl ether (DME) was found to increase and its desorption maxima to shift toward lower temperatures with increasing catalyst acidity. The latter was probed by diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) of adsorbed pyridine up to 723 K.