Kinetics and Mechanism of the Oxidative Conversion of n-Amyl Alcohol to Valeric Acid on a Modified Zeolite Catalyst

The catalytic activity of natural and synthetic mordenites modified with Cu2+, Zn2+, and Pd2+ cations via ion exchange was studied in the oxidative conversion of n-amyl alcohol to valeric acid under the action of oxygen. It is established that the highest activity and selectivity in this reaction is exhibited by mordenite hydrothermally synthesized from kaolinite and containing 3.0 wt % Cu2+, 0.1 wt % Pd2+, and 2.0 wt % Zn2+. The kinetics of this catalytic reaction is studied. Based on the experimental data, a possible stepwise mechanism is proposed, and a theoretically grounded kinetic model of the process is developed.