ERROR 1
ERROR 1
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
Password and Confirm password must match.
If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)
ERROR 2
ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.
By combining high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images with X-ray powder diffraction data for the first time, researchers have solved the structure of TNU-9, an aluminosilicate zeolite that, they say, is "by far the most complex zeolite framework known to date" (Nature 2006, 444, 79). The silica-rich material boasts 24 crystallographically distinct silicon atoms. This translates into 72 degrees of freedom (24 silicon atoms x 3 atomic coordinates). The structure elucidation—carried out by Christian Baerlocher and Lynne B. McCusker of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, and their colleagues—required 16 days of computing time. TNU-9's three-dimensional 10-ring channel system (shown) is reminiscent of the one in the important industrial zeolite ZSM-5, the researchers note, but TNU-9 does have some unique features. "Catalytic testing indicates that TNU-9's activity is distinctly different from that of ZSM-5," McCusker points out.
Join the conversation
Contact the reporter
Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication
Engage with us on X