Para-selectivity of metallosilicates with MFI zeolite structure

The antimonosilicate, borosilicate, ferrisilicate, and gallosilicate with MFI zeolite structure exhibited much higher para-selectivities for the alkylation of ethylbenzene with ethanol than did HZSM-5 zeolite. The weaker acid sites on the metallosilicates provide the higher para-selectivity, because in the narrow pores the isomerization of the p-diethylbenzene produced primarily is suppressed to some extent through “restricted transition-state selectivity” and requires strong acid sites, compared with the alkylation.