Regioselectivity in organic reactions is an important goal for chemists. In addition to increasing yields of desired products, separation costs are minimized. Enzymes are the most efficient regioselective catalysts, however, they are not hardy enough for most industrial processes. Zeolites, with their molecular-sized channels and cavities, have many of the properties of enzymes. They are able to select specific molecules according to size, orient these molecules into a particular conformation and supply reactive sites. The research plan for this proposal is to design and synthesize ZSM-5 zeolite crystals with internal catalytic interfaces separating areas of high and low Al concentration. The research work will also establish physical techniques, concentrating on NMR, to demonstrate the presence and evaluate the quality of these interfaces.
