Toluene methylation activity of zirconium pillared clays

Zirconium pillared montmorillonite and vermiculite clay catalysts have been prepared by different methods of intercalation. The catalysts were charact erized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption, Infared (IR) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) studies. Toluene methylation activity is found to depend on the preparative method and zirconium concentration of the catalysts. Th e results indicate a direct correlation between the density of Lewis acid s ites and toluene methylation activity.