Some zeolites are used to separate long straight chain hydrocarbons from branched chain hydrocarbons in petrochemical industry. Explain how this separation becomes possible.
Answer:
The separation of long straight chain hydrocarbons from branched chain hydrocarbons in petrochemical industry is possible due to shape selectivity of zeolites. Shape selective catalysis depends on the pore structure. The pore size in zeolites generally varies between 260 pm to 740 pm. Depending on the size of the reactant and product molecules compared to size of the cages, reactions proceed in a specific manner.
For the separation of the above catalyst ZSM-5 is used.
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