Abstract: In situ ¹³C MAS NMR was employed to study the reaction mechanism of isobutane rearrangement over sulfated zirconia using 2-¹³C-isobutane as a reactant. The effects of temperature and hydrogen atmosphere on the reaction were investigated. The results showed that the reaction of isobutane proceeded mainly via a monomolecular mechanism in its early stage, and then a bimolecular mechanism became dominant. Increasing temperature also led to the reaction from monomolecular to bimolecular mechanism. In the presence of hydrogen, the reaction of isobutane rearrangement, in particular that through the bimolecular pathway, was significantly inhibited.

Key words: sulfated zirconia, nuclear magnetic resonance, isobutane, skeletal rearrangement