Investigations of the ADOR Process Using Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

The assembly-disassembly-organization-reassembly (ADOR) process for the transformation of zeolite UTL using water has been studied by using Si-29 and O-17 solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The results show that the intermediate materials that are formed during the reaction are extremely dynamic and that the process involves both irreversible changes in structure that define the overall pathway and reversible lability of the Si-O-Si linkages that have no effect on the overall structure. The combination of processes occurring during the ADOR reaction means that the mechanism is considerably more complex than initially proposed.