High activity of layered zeolite ITQ-2 as catalyst for the hydroxyalkylation of 2-methoxynaphthalene and naphthalene with paraformaldehyde. Comparison of its performance with that of conventional zeolites or mesoporous Al/MCM-41

The performance of a series of solid acids including conventional zeolites (HY, mordenite, and ZSM-5), mesoporous A1/MCM-41 aluminosilicate and amorph ous SiO2/Al2O3 (25 wt.%) has been compared with that of the novel layered z eolite ITQ-2 for the liquid-phase condensation of 2-methoxynaphthalene and naphthalene with paraformaldehyde to form dinaphthylmethane derivatives. It was found that ITQ-2 exhibits the highest catalytic activity of this serie s. The catalytic efficiency of ITQ-2 arises from the balanced combination o f higher acid strength than A1/MCM-41 and silica-aluminas, and easier acces sibility of its sites than for microporous zeolites. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scie nce B.V. All rights reserved.