Modeling of Adsorption Properties of Zeolites: Correlation with the Structure

The adsorption of N2 and CO in Na X-zeolites has been studied for different framework structures and extraframework cation distributions. To this aim, the cation-molecule system modeling one site has been embedded in a set of external point charges which simulate the zeolite environment of the site and has been treated quantum chemically, using a method based on density functional theory. This procedure has been applied to the 64 cationic sites accessible for adsorption in a crystal unit cell of an ideal X-zeolite with a Si/Al ratio equal to 1. These calculations have shown that only a few cations are favorable for initial adsorption and that those cations are always of type III(III′). Their efficiency depends both on the framework geometry and on their location in the supercages. The analysis of the quantum chemical results in terms of a classical description involving electrostatic and induction interaction energies with the framework has led to the conclusion that the direction of the electric field vector created by the zeolite in the supercages is an important factor determining the zeolite adsorption properties.