Effect of Surface Morphology on Dimerization of tert-Butyl Mercaptan on the Surface of Amorphous Aluminosilicate Impregnated with Mn and Cu

A powder of destructive adsorbent was prepared by impregnating Mn and Cu on the surface of amorphous aluminosilicate. It catalytically dimerized tert-butyl mercaptan into di-tert-butyl disulfide on its surface. Turnover of the dimerization was strongly dependent on the surface morphology of the adsorbent, which could be altered by modification of aluminosilicate support. During the process of impregnation, which involved heat treatment at 500 ${^{\circ}C}$, the shape of the pore was preserved, though large fraction of micropores were eliminated. The reactive sites on the surface were poisoned as dimerization products strongly adhered on them. Therefore, high surface area was not always desirable. When the surface was heavily populated with “inkbottled” pores with a narrow entrance in uniform size, heavy poisoning of the reactive sites turned the destructive adsorbents almost useless.