Inclusion chemistry with zeolites : nanoscale materials by design

Zeolites, with their crystalline microporous structures, are cordial hosts to a wide variety of guests. However, it was the abrupt and unexpected departure of one of these guests (water) from a host (stilbite) on heating which led Cronstedt, in 1756, to coin the term "zeolite" (from the Greek meaning "boiling stone") to describe this material. Since that time, approximately 40 different naturally-occurring zeolites have been discovered on earth. Recent studies of meteorite compositions have shown that these guest-host materials (e. g. , sodalite) occur in other parts of the universe as well. However, it wasn't until the twentieth century that synthetic routes to zeolites and other non-aluminosilicate molecular sieves were discovered. In addition, with the development of X-ray diffraction and the various spectroscopies, better understanding of the nature of the cavities, cages, and channels of these materials has led to the industrial exploitation of their guest-host properties. The world of zeolites has now expanded into a greater than 2 billion pound per year business, with major applications in detergent formulations, catalysis, and as adsorbents and desiccants. Their economic impact is difficult to determine; however, the improvement in gasoline yields alone (from catalytic cracking) must account for hundreds ofbillions ofdollars in increased GDP. In this volume, we have brought together a sampling of recent developments in various areas of guest-host or inclusion chemistry in zeolites. Zeolites, with their crystalline microporous structure, are cordial hosts to a wide variety of guests. Traditional absorption techniques, as well as X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques, have contributed to a better understanding of the nature of the host materials' characteristic cavities, cages and channels. The same techniques, coupled with powerful computational methods, have given new insights into the interactions of guest molecules with their hosts. In turn, this has led to new developments in the direction of structure during zeolite synthesis as well as potentially new applications of guest-host materials. The 11 chapters of Inclusion Chemistry with Zeolites: Nanoscale Materials by Design represent the cutting edge of modern research, describing some of the most recent studies on structure direction in synthesis, characterization techniques, computational aspects, coordination and organometallic chemistry, photochemistry, and electronic and optical materials. The diversity and wide utility of its presentation will inspire creative readers to create their own `nanoscale materials by design'. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Probing Intrazeolite Space....Pages 1-46 Structure-Direction in Zeolite Synthesis....Pages 47-78 Structural Case Studies of Inclusion Phenomena in Zeolites: Xe in RHO and Stilbene in ZSM-5....Pages 79-112 Zeolite-Included Molecules Studied by NMR....Pages 113-136 Absorbed Molecules in Microporous Hosts - Computational Aspects....Pages 137-158 Zeolite Encapsulated Metal Complexes....Pages 159-184 Coordination Chemistry in Zeolites....Pages 185-213 Zeolite Guest-Host Interactions: Implications in Formation, Catalysis, and Photochemistry....Pages 215-237 Photochemistry of Organic Molecules Within Zeolites: Role of Cations....Pages 239-282 Zeolites as Hosts for Novel Optical and Electronic Materials....Pages 283-298 Alkali-Metal Clusters as Prototypes for Electron Solvation in Zeolites....Pages 299-324 Back Matter....Pages 325-340 This work describes modern research in the field of chemistry with zeolites, describing some of the studies on structure direction in synthesis, characterization techniques, computational aspects, co-ordination and organometallic chemistry, photochemistry, and electronic and optical materials