Basic Sites on Alumina with Preadsorbed Ethanol and Ammonia—An IR Study

The adsorption of ethanol and ammonia changes the basic properties of alumina, and new basic sites are created. Ethanol reacts with surface Al-OH groups, forming ethoxy group Al-O-C2H5. The substitution of Al-OH by Al-O-C2H5 increases the negative charge of neighbouring oxygen atoms, and they became sufficiently basic to react with adsorbed CO2 forming carbonate species CO32−. These carbonates were found to be monodentate and bidentate species. Preadsorption of ammonia also increases the basicity of alumina, but the mechanism is different than for ethanol adsorption. Adsorbed ammonia interacts with surface Lewis acid sites being three-coordinated aluminium atoms. This interaction is accompanied by an electron transfer from ammonia molecules to surface sites, and increases the basicity of the neighbouring oxygens, which can react with the absorbed CO2. The carbonate species formed are polydentate ones.