Shape-selective synthesis of 4,4′-dimethylbiphenyl. 1. Methylation of 4-methylbiphenyl over modified zeolite catalysts

Methylation of 4-methylbiphenyl with methanol was carried out using zeolites HY, HM, and HZSM-5 as catalysts under fixed-bed down-flow conditions. HY and HM display no shape selectivity, but HZSM-5 shows moderate selectivity to the target product, 4,4′-dimethylbiphenyl (4,4′-DMBP) under proper reaction conditions. Modification of the surface of HZSM-5 zeolite can improve the selectivity to 4,4′-DMBP, especially the simultaneous modification of external and internal surface with inorganic P compound. The selectivity to 4,4′-DMBP can be increased to as high as 65% over the HZSM-5 modified with a small amount of ammonium hydrogen phosphate.