ACID-BASE AND CATALYTIC PROPERTIES OF ZrO₂-SnO₂.

The acid-base properties of ZrO//2-SnO//2 with different compositions have been measured by the indicator method and the adsorption with NH//3 and CO//2 and the catalytic activities studied. The ZrO//2-SnO//2 (atomic ratio equals 9:1) catalyst which was found to have the highest acid strength and the maximum acid amount exhibited the highest activities for the isomerization of cyclopropane and the dehydration of 2-butanol. The activities of the catalysts with different compositions for the two reactions correlated with the acidic properties. On the other hand, the activities for the isomerization of 1-butene and the decomposition of diacetone alcohol (4-hydroxyl-4-methyl-2-pentanone) correlated with the basic properties. The activity for the dehydrogenation of 2-butanol was found to increase with an increase of the SnO//2 content. The active sites on the ZrO//2-SnO//2 catalysts are discussed.