Pillared interlayered kandite clay compositions
AssigneeExxon Research & Engineering Co.
InventorDavid E. W. Vaughan
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Abstract
This invention includes compositions of matter made up of a kandite clay which has been treated with large molecules containing multi-atom metallic or semi-metallic species and heated to produce pillars within the clay which are located generally between the clay's layers. The pillared kandite composition is useful as a catalyst support, sorbent, or ion exchanger. The invention also includes a process for producing the pillared kandite composition comprises mixing the finely divided clay in an aqueous solution with the pillaring medium and heating the resulting composition at a temperature high enough to decompose the added compound.
Claims30
A microporous pillared kandite clay composition which includes separated layers wherein the interlayer distances are substantially greater than the interlayer distances of a precursor of the same but non-separated clay and wherein the composition includes pillars derived from a solution of specific molecular or ionic cluster compounds selected from the group consisting of an inorganic oxide, sulfide, metal cluster and combinations thereof wherein said pillars separate and cross link said layers, wherein said pillars have definite chemical composition and which on calcination, permanently pillar and separate said layers.
A process for producing pillared kandite clay compositions which includes separated layers wherein the interlayer distances are substantially greater than the interlayer distances of a precursor of the same but non-separated clay and wherein the composition includes pillars derived from molecular or ionic compounds selected from the group consisting of an inorganic oxide, sulfide, metal cluster and combinations thereof which separates said layers, comprising the steps of:
- i) intimately mixing an amount of a finely divided kandite clay precursor with a solution comprising water to produce a precursor suspension slurry;
- ii) adding an effective amount of pillaring medium to said precursor suspension and maintaining said mixture for a period of time sufficient to allow infusion of the pillaring medium into the clay precursor;
- iii) heating the kandite clay precursor containing the pillaring medium at a temperature sufficient to decompose the pillaring medium to an inorganic pillar separating layers of the precursor and therefore produce the pillared kandite clay composition.
The process of clam 13 wherein the step iii of heating the kandite claim precursor infused with the pillaring medium to decompose the pillaring medium takes place in an inert atmosphere.
The process of claim 24 wherein the pillaring medium is additionally selected to produce a decomposed pillaring medium selected from the group consisting of the oxides of elements in the III-B, IV-B, V-B, and VI-B Groups of the Periodic Table.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.