ECR-1 Zeolites as Selective Catalysts for Carbonylation of Dimethyl Ether

The interpenetrating channel system in the EON structure creates optimized spatial constraints that enable its application in dimethyl ether (DME) carbonylation. ECR-1 zeolites were synthesized using 1,3,5-trioxane as the organic structure-directing agent. After selectively deactivating the Brønsted acid sites within the 12-MR, the Py-H-ECR-1 demonstrated enhanced apparent activity (84.4% methyl acetate (MA) selectivity) and stability. Investigating DME adsorption on ECR-1, we found that the methyl species Al(O-CH3)Si tends to form at the T9 site on the dah tiling. Mass spectrometry and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy verified the formation of MA and the carbonylation pathway. Transition-state calculations confirmed that CO insertion to form the acetyl species Al(O-COCH3)Si is the rate-determining step. These findings established ECR-1 as a promising zeolite catalyst for efficient MA production.