Effect of Calcination on the Basic Strength of Surface Modified Nano-Zinc Oxide Characterised by FTIR and Back Titration Methods

The use of metal oxides in heterogeneous base catalysis has gained a large interest due to their application in many chemical and industrial processes and is environmental friendly. Basic metal oxides are commonly used and their structures, morphology and performance can be modified by method of preparation and thermal activation. In this study, surface modified amphoteric zinc oxide was prepared via hydration-dehydration method and characterised by TGA and FTIR. The basic strength at various temperatures is characterised by FTIR and back titration analyses. The results shows that surface modified zinc oxide has the highest basic strength of 1.453mmolg-1at 400°C making it a relatively good and suitable compound for use in heterogeneous basic catalysis. This result is also supported by FTIR spectra which show possible relationship between the Lewis O2-and increasing basic strength.