Characterization of AlFe-pillared Unye bentonite: A study of the surface acidity and catalytic property

• The AlFe-pillared bentonite catalyst was characterized by various techniques.
• The new micropores and Lewis acidic sites were formed by pillaring process.
• The AlFe-pillared bentonite as catalyst was used in the benzoylation of benzene with benzoyl chloride.
• The AlFe-pillared bentonite is a promising eco-friendly catalyst in organic reactions.

Aluminium–iron-pillared bentonite has been prepared by incorporation of the iron mixed aluminium-polyoxocation into bentonite layers and characterized by the powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, thermal analysis and surface area measurement techniques. The characteristic d001 basal spacing of raw bentonite increased with the pillaring process and reached to 18.05 Å. The siloxane layers of bentonite were perturbed and the positions of Si–O stretching vibrations were altered by pillaring process. However, these pillars in the interlayer gallery spacing enhanced the thermal stability of bentonite. The new micropores were formed by the pillaring process and the specific surface area of raw bentonite increased by ca. 2-fold for aluminium–iron-pillared bentonite. FTIR spectra and thermal analysis curves of pyridine adsorbed samples clearly show that the surface Lewis acidity of aluminium–iron-pillared bentonite is greater than that of raw bentonite. Raw and aluminium–iron-pillared bentonites have been utilized as solid catalysts for benzoylation of benzene with benzoyl chloride. The aluminium–iron-pillared bentonite catalyst showed promising catalytic activity whereas raw bentonite showed no catalytic activity in benzoylation of benzene with benzoyl chloride.