Fatty acid methyl esters into nitriles: Acid-base properties for enhanced catalysts

Fatty nitriles have become of industrial interest in the frame of biofuels and biopolymers. Their production out of fatty acids or esters is controlled by acid-base catalysis and the present study investigated the nature of surface sites responsible for the rate-determining step in ester's ammoniation-dehydration. The important role of medium strength acid sites (ammonia adsorption energy between 120 and 140 kJ mol−1) was concluded.