Polemic against conclusions drawn in “Shape-selective diisopropylation of naphthalene in H-Mordenite: Myth or reality?” (J. Catal., 270 (2010) 60–66)

In the article mentioned in the title, the authors challenged the hypothesis on shape-selective formation of 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene (2,6-DIPN) in isopropylation of naphthalene over H-MOR catalysts. They claimed it was a myth, and there was no need to explain the high 2,6-DIPN selectivity with shape selectivity because it was in the range predicted by kinetics and thermodynamics. They also suggested that improper analysis of DIPN products could be a reason of the high 2,6-DIPN selectivity observed in the literature. However, in the current article I proved that some experimental results cannot be explained by kinetics, thermodynamics and analytical errors; therefore, shape-selective diisopropylation of naphthalene over H-mordenite is still the reality.

Graphical abstractSome experimental results obtained in alkylation of naphthalene to diisopropylnaphthalene over H-MOR cannot be explained by kinetics, thermodynamics and analytical errors, as suggested in the article mentioned in the title; therefore, shape-selective diisopropylation of naphthalene over H-mordenite is still the reality.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (82 K)Download as PowerPoint slide