The relationship of the structural organization and acid-base properties of the surface of phosphorus titanate oxides prepared from tetra-n-butoxytitanium and phosphorous esters with the catalytic activity and selectivity of these materials in ethylene glycol oxyethylation was studied. Single-phase phosphorus-containing oxides synthesized from 2-diethylamido-4-methyl-1,3,2-dioxophosphorinane and diphenyl(methano)phosphocane have strong surface aprotic acid sites and exhibit high catalytic activity with respect to oxyethylation and a record-breaking selectivity in the formation of the lower homolog, diethylene glycol. The last-mentioned fact is a consequence of the sieve effect exerted by the homogeneous porous structure of supermicropores (8-10 Angstrom) of the oxides. An increase in the concentration of the strong acid sites (greater than or equal to130 kJ mol(-1)) on the oxide surface enhances the catalytic activity. On the basis of the temperature programmed desorption of ammonia and CO2 and kinetic measurements, a concerted acid-base mechanism was proposed for the catalytic addition of ethylene oxide to ethylene glycol on the phosphorus-titanate surface.
New types of oligomethylenephenol cyclophosphites containing 1-3 phosphorus atoms are synthesized by reactions of available oligomethylenephenols with phosphorous acid amides. Contrary to their simple analogs, the resulting phosphites are stable on handling, which allowed design on their basis of complex coordination systems holding promise for metal complex catalysis.