Improved description of the surface acidity of eta-alumina.

The surface acidity of an activated eta-alumina catalyst has been investigated by examining the interaction of pyridine with the catalyst by a combination of gravimetric and volumetric adsorption isotherms, infrared spectroscopy (diffuse reflectance and transmission), inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy, temperature-programmed desorption spectroscopy, and gravimetric desorption experiments. From previous work, this surface was considered to contain three types of Lewis acid sites of increasing acidity: weak, medium, and strong. However, this multitechnique approach reveals the presence of an additional type of Lewis acid site. Although the traditional pyridine ring modes about 1580 cm(-1) are consistent with previous studies, temperature-programmed infrared spectroscopy of the surface hydroxyl groups and mass-selective temperature-programmed desorption experiments establish that the medium-strength Lewis acid category can be subdivided into two components. In this way, the surface structure of the activated catalyst is redefined as comprising (i) weak, (ii) medium-weak, (iii) medium-strong and (iv) strong Lewis acid sites. The (O-H) stretching mode of surface hydroxyl groups provides information on the local structure of the distinct sites, and schematic descriptions for these sites are proposed.