Solid acid

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Solid acids are acids that are insoluble in the reaction medium. They are often used as heterogeneous catalysts.

Examples

Most solid state acids are organic acids such as

polyoxometallates.[2]

Applications

Solid acids are used in catalysis in many industrial chemical processes, from large-scale catalytic cracking in petroleum refining to the synthesis of various fine chemicals.[3]

One large scale application is alkylation, e.g., the combination of benzene and ethylene to give ethylbenzene. Another application is the rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime to caprolactam.[4] Many alkylamines are prepared by amination of alcohols, catalyzed by solid acids.

Zeolite, ZSM-5 is widely used as a solid acid catalyst.

Solid acids can be used as

electrolytes in fuel cells.[1]

References