During the BZA AGM held at the Royal Institution as part of the 23^rd Annual Meeting, Prof. Mike Anderson (Centre for Microporous Materials, UMIST) was elected to be the new BZA chairman, replacing Dr. Warren Smith (BP Amoco Chemicals). I’m sure that I speak for all the membership in wishing Mike well in his new role.

Its an exciting and innovative time for all scientists working in the field of zeolite chemistry. One of the positive repercussions of the recent rationalisation within industry of their R & D effort in zeolites has been the creativity and generation of new ideas. For the last three decades the fortunes of zeolite and related science has been very closely linked to their important bulk applications within the chemical industry. Indeed without this support such a large and diverse academic community working in this field could not have been supported. However, zeolites and related porous materials form a unique class of well-ordered microporous solids with properties which lend themselves to many other potential applications from batteries to pharmaceutical development. With less funds available recently from the traditional industrial sources this has given the opportunity to develop more blue-skies research. Also with the advent of the mesoporous "MCM-type" materials the realisation of a continuum of porosity from micropores to macropores is becoming a reality. New techniques, such as scanning probe microscopy and sophisticated NMR experiments coupled with the ever-increasing reliability of theoretical approaches gives the modern zeolite chemist powerful tools for probing these new and often composite materials. Of course, the wealth of current knowledge, diversity of techniques and enormous literature output provides a problem both for the new student entering this field and even for the experienced worker. The key to a modern way of working is in constructive collaboration. It is important that as a community we are able to form scientific associations – beyond those imposed on us by funding councils – that will help us to tackle problems with confidence. Synthetic chemists, theoreticians, spectroscopists, microscopists and application scientists must work together more closely than ever before. I hope that the British Zeolite Association can continue to provide an important forum to establish and foster such assocations both within the UK and with our partners overseas. I am sure that during my short time as Chairman of the British Zeolite Association there will be new and exciting discoveries around the world which will lead to novel applications which will eventually enter industrial processes. My hope is that the British Zeolite Association can, through its contacts and conferences, aid scientists internationally in this exciting task.

Mike Anderson (May 2000)

This issue will be the last one which is posted to all members. If you have an e-mail address you are strongly urged to pass it on to the secretary (c.williams@wlv.ac.uk). If you do not have e-mail and require a paper copy of future issues of Template, you are kindly requested to fill in the tear off slip at the end of this newsletter and post it to the secretary requesting this. If members to do send an e-mail address or request a paper copy then they will unfortunately not receive any further issues of Template.

Would all BZA members please ensure that their subscriptions are up to date, the current fees are student membership £2, full membership £5 and life membership £50. If you need to check your current membership status then please contact the BZA secretary on the e-mail address above.

As this was the first BZA meeting that I have attended I found it extremely interesting not only from the knowledge I gained from the lectures but also due to the people I met and the general way in which zeolitic science is approached and studied.

The lectures were started particularly well with an fascinating talk on the synthesis of zeolites by Dr. Colin Cundy which was followed over the next few days by a number of talks on synthesis mechanisms investigated using various techniques. In general I found the lectures (particularly the plenary lectures) enjoyable and informative. It did a great deal to broaden my ideas of the application and uses of zeolites not only from the official lectures and posters but also from informal discussions at lunch, in the bar or at the poster session.

I felt the format of the conference was also excellent, the food and facilities were fantastic and having and afternoon in which I could let the morning lectures sink in and enjoy some of the beautiful city of Edinburgh was great. I thought it was also particularly well planned to organise an eclipse that served as a nice break from zeolite science and gave us a fresh enthusiasm for astronomy!

I felt I gained an awful lot and I am looking forward to next years conference.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not only was August 8^th the date of my first attendance at the annual BZA meeting, it was also my first visit to Scotland. I arrived at Waverley station just in time to see the start of the carnival opening Edinburgh’s famous fringe festival. This set the mood for the week quite nicely. The conference venue could not have been in a better setting. The abundance of wildlife, including plenty of rabbits made a refreshing change to watching pigeons and automobiles!

The delegate attendance was very encouraging, especially with the large number of international appearances. All the lectures were clear and interesting and covered all the important areas ranging from the synthesis through to the applications of zeolite materials. The facilities for delegate posters were very good, with the main walkway passing by all the well-displayed posters.

A good range of social activities had been organised including a trip to Scone Palace. Thankfully the weather was very good for a conference.

Over all, I found the conference very interesting and am looking forward to attending this year’s conference at the Royal Institution in London.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Edinburgh conference was the second BZA meeting I have attended and I found it most enjoyable. The plenary lectures were excellent and broadened my knowledge of zeolites and other related materials. The research talks provided a small insight into the diverse work being carried out in the field and into the many techniques currently employed such as electron microscopy and laser ablation. The same was true of the poster session, which also provided a setting for informal discussion. As one of the students who gave a research talk I would like to thank the organisers for putting us all at our ease.

I enjoyed the format of the conference. It was really nice to have the afternoons free to go sightseeing round Edinburgh. The facilities provided at the Heriot-Watt Conference Park were excellent and I look forward to the next meeting.

Jenny Readman

Birmingham University

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I arrived at Heriot-Watt University I felt somewhat nervous. The reason for this was that I was about to start 5 days in the company of about one hundred people, all of whom I had never met before. Not only that but many of these people were names that I recognised from several papers and hence was rather in awe of! My nervousness did not last long fortunately. With the help of my roommate I was soon meeting people.

The lectures were all of a high standard with a good range of subjects. I was not expecting so many presentations to deal with the area of mesoporous solids and I was pleased to see so many. For me the plenary lecture by Prof. Tiddy and the lectures that followed in that session had to be the academic highlights of the conference.

On the other hand another of the highlights of the conference has to be the solar eclipse. Whoever had the idea of an extended coffee break while the eclipse was happening deserves a pat on the back. All in all, it was an enjoyable occasion.

Surrey University

The Twenty-second British Zeolite Association (BZA) annual meeting has been held at Heriot-Watt Conference Centre, Edinburgh, from 8-13th August 1999. Over one hundred delegates from 18 countries and areas attended the wonderful meeting held at such a beautiful city.

The programme format of the BZA meeting was unusual. All the morning sessions started at 9 o'clock with a plenary lecture which lasted one hour and a half, followed by a 15 minutes break for coffee. After the break, four research papers were presented. The evening sessions started at 7:30pm with four oral presentations and finished at 9:30pm. During the meeting, delegates could go out to visit Edinburgh city in the afternoon and also meet their friends in the bar after evening sessions.

Dr. Warren Smith, chairman of BZA committee, from BP, chaired the first morning session of BZA meeting. The first plenary lecture, which was focused on the hydrothermal synthesis of zeolites was given by Dr. Colin Cundy from UMIST, Manchester. Throughout the meeting, five plenary lectures and 33 oral presentations were presented with most of the oral presentations focusing on the synthesis and characterization of zeolites, such as CIT-6, SSZ-23, NU-1, MCM-41, AFI etc. The poster session was held on the Thursday evening and over thirty posters, with diversified emphasis on zeolites synthesis, characterization, modification and applications, were displayed on poster boards for formal view.

Dr. Paul Wright, from University of St. Andrews, UK, was awarded the Barrier's Prize for his outstanding work and contributions in zeolite research area during the BZA meeting. Some experts in zeolite research area from abroad, including Professor Weitkamp Jens, the chairman of International Zeolites Association from Germany, Dr. Edith Flanigen, the inventor of AlPO4 series molecular sieves from USA, attended the meeting. This has made the 22th BZA annual meeting an international event. It is really a great pleasure to attend such an excellent meeting at Edinburgh.

The 22^nd Annual Meeting of the British Zeolite Association took place in August at Heriot-Watt University in the beautiful, historic city of Edinburgh, Scotland. The meeting, organised by Professor Lovat V.C. Rees of Edinburgh University, adopted the style of a Gordon Conference. While lectures were held in the mornings and evenings, delegates and guests had the opportunity to visit the centre of Edinburgh during the afternoons and witness previews of events taking place at the world-famous Edinburgh International Festival Fringe.

The meeting was a truly international affair, with participants from 18 different countries. Of the 120 delegates, one half were from Great Britain and 20 were from the United States, while countries as far afield as Saudi Arabia, China, Japan and Taiwan were also represented.

The Conference Programme boasted five Plenary Lectures, 31 aural presentations and over 30 poster presentations spread over a five-day period. Virtually all aspects of zeolite science were touched upon during the Conference and a mixture of seasoned professionals, young lecturers and students gave presentations. A cross-section of talks will be highlighted below.

The first scientific session was devoted to the synthesis and characterisation of microporous materials, and began with a Plenary Lecture "The Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zeolites" by Dr. Colin Cundy of the Centre for Microporous Materials at UMIST. Dr. Cundy provided a fascinating and thorough summary of the state of the art in zeolite synthesis mechanisms. In "...an attempt to present a unified picture of hydrothermal zeolite synthesis...", Dr. Cundy cleverly pieced together information from a wide range of techniques, including mathematical and molecular modelling, NMR spectroscopy, small- and wide-angle scattering of X-rays, photon correlation spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy.

Professor Mark Davis from the California Institute of Technology, USA, presented a paper on the synthesis of a BEA-type zincosilicate (CIT-6) and its use as a pre-cursor to various BEA-type materials. Of particular interest was the generation of a highly hydrophobic, purely siliceous CIT-6 by removal of template and zinc with simultaneous annealing of defects through an acid treatment procedure.

Professor S. Mintova (Ludwig Maximilians University, Germany) provided some interesting insight into the nucleation and growth of colloidal zeolite particles. Low-dose high-resolution electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and other techniques were used to monitor the formation and growth of colloidal particles of LTA and FAU.

The second day began with an enlightening description of the subject of surfactant chemical structure and mesophase architecture in the Plenary Lecture by Professor Gordon Tiddy of the Department of Chemical Engineering at UMIST. While most of us are familiar with the use of surfactants as templating agents for mesoporous materials, Professor Tiddy gave a "behind the scenes" look at the world of these versatile compounds.

The synthesis and characterisation of a novel mesoporous silica, STAC-1, was presented by Dr. Paul Wright (University of St. Andrews, Scotland). The material was described as being the cubic-close-packed variant of SBA-2 (from Santa Barbara), while high resolution electron microscopy suggests that the pore connectivity is essentially two-dimensional.

Professor Hans Lechert (University of Hamburg, Germany) described a methodology whereby the complex problem of predicting the Si/Al ratio of a zeolite from the batch solution composition could be achieved. While the method is still undergoing refinement, successful predictions from empirical solution composition data have been made for several high-alumina zeolites.

An interesting application of NMR Imaging to derive transient concentration profiles of water and light hydrocarbons in a zeolite column was discussed by Professor Douglas Ruthven (University of Maine, USA). The technique is being developed further in an attempt to distinguish between gas and adsorbed phase probe molecules, which would allow an estimation of local mass transfer resistances.

The third day of the conference opened with a review of the synthesis of new catalysts for the refining and petrochemical industries by Dr. Giovanni Perego of EniTechnologie, Italy. The synthesis and characterisation of several new materials, including ERS-7, -8 and -10 were described. The affect of compositional factors, such as SiO₂:template ratio and subtle changes in the template structure on the materials formed was presented, as were some thoughts on the probable structures of the various materials.

Dr. Osamu Terasaki (Tohoku University, Japan) presented a paper describing the successful application of electron crystallography to the structure solution of a new microporous material. Electron crystallography involves the generation of electron diffraction patterns in a high-resolution electron microscope, which are then "processed" in a similar fashion to data from X-ray diffraction experiments. Also, the characterisation of mesoporous materials by analysing the Fourier transform of high-resolution images was described.

Professor Bob Thompson (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA) described some preliminary work towards the preparation of zeolite-polymer matrix composite films for potential application as sensors and membranes. Zeolite crystals were first treated with a silane prior to immersion in a "lacquer", which was then dried under UV irradiation. Oxidative decomposition of the lacquer resulted in the generation of porosity.

This theme was continued in a paper presented by Professor Ken Balkus (University of Texas at Dallas, USA) in which the preparation of zeolite films and membranes via laser ablation were discussed. In this technique, a pellet of pressed zeolite powder is bombarded with an excimer laser, generating a plume of particles which can deposit on the desired substrate. The coating thus obtained consists of zeolite fragments, and a short period of hydrothermal treatment is necessary to reorganise the fragments into a crystalline layer. For ablation to occur, the zeolite must contain ultra-violet adsorbing species (e.g., template).

Dr. Jonathan Agger (Centre for Microporous Materials, UMIST) discussed the growth mechanisms of zeolite crystals in light of images from atomic force microscopy. Images at nanometer resolution allowed the surface terraces of crystals to be seen; from the shape of these terraces, mechanisms based on terrace-ledge-kink growth were proposed.

The fourth day opened with a Plenary Lecture given by Professor Colin Fyfe of the University of British Columbia, Canada, which concerned the structural characterisation by NMR of zeolite-organic sorbate systems. In essence, the silicon connectivities are first determined by 2D COSY or INADEQUATE experiments, then the through-space dipolar interaction of constituents of the guest molecules with specific silicon atoms are determined by experiments such as CP, REDOR and TEDOR. This information can help pinpoint the location of the guest molecules in the zeolite pores.

Professor Hermann Gies (Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany) described the synthesis and structure of RUB-22, a pure-silica, microporous material with an interrupted framework. ²⁹Si MAS NMR revealed a high proportion of Q³ silica units, while the unit cell dimensions, thermal and ion exchange properties, indicate that the material is three-dimensionally connected rather than layered.

The evening of the fourth day saw the usual lecture programme give way to the Conference Banquet, at which excellent food and wine were enjoyed by all. After the dinner, the Barrer Award was presented to Dr. Paul Wright of St. Andrews University. This award is given every third year during the BZA Meeting to a young British or Britain-based scientist who has made significant impact in the field of microporous materials. The award, sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry, was presented by Professor Jens Weitkamp (University of Stuttgart (Germany), President of the International Zeolite Association) and Dr. Warren Smith (BP Amoco Chemicals, Chairman of the BZA). Dr. Wright received the award in recognition of his outstanding work on the preparation of novel micro- and meso-porous materials and the development of new techniques for the characterisation and modelling of such materials.

The Plenary Lecture, which opened the last day, was a whirlwind tour of the use of zeolites in organic conversions, given by Professor Herman van Bekkum of Delft University, The Netherlands. The talk centred on, but was not limited to, the use of zeolites in non-petrochemical applications. Among other subjects, electrophilic aromatic substitution, isomerisation and Lewis acid catalysed H-transfer reactions were discussed. Particular emphasis was placed on the replacement of traditional non-recyclable catalysts by zeolites.

Dr. Johannis Pieterse (University of Twente, The Netherlands) discussed catalysis and sorption on the outer surface of zeolites. Observations via in-situ infra-red spectroscopy, gravimetry and calorimetry of di- and tri-branched alkanes adsorbed onto FER and TON gave information on the proportion of acid sites lying on the surface or in pore mouths and showed that the pore-mouth sites are strong enough to catalyse skeletal isomerisation of alkanes and alkenes.

The meeting and workshop are scheduled for 1–6^th April. The BZA meeting will run from Monday morning through to Wednesdayy lunchtime; the workshop will begin Wednesday afternoon and finish Friday evening. The BZA Meeting will follow its usual format, and will cover a wide range of topics relevant to zeolite science, with an emphasis toward student contributions.

The workshop which will adopt a Gordon Conference format, will cover porous materials – biomaterials, hierarchical porous materials, monoliths and composite materials- synthesis and characterisation. This will give BZA members an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of porous materials

The time has come for that well hidden artistic flair in each and everyone of you to come to the surface. The BZA is launching a competition to design a new tie/scarf for 2000. Following on from the success of the polo shirts at the BZA (Edinburgh) comes the search for a new tie/scarf design. I'm sure from amongst the ranks of the British Zeolite Membership will come a new "Giorgio Armani", "Yves Saint Laurent" or "Vivienne Westwood". Submission of your design can be on paper (you may remember that) or electronically to Arthur Garforth, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, UMIST, PO Box 88 Manchester M60. Please note, Apple Mac users: most people are not! It is essential that you let a member of the committee know you are working on something so that willing manufacturers can be approached. The closing date for entries will be the end of August 2000.

The theme is of course "framework structures" & "BZA" but ingenuity and lateral thinking would be greatly appreciated! Especially since Committee members WILL be wearing them!

After a long and successful period as Chairman of the Federation of European Zeolite Associations (FEZA), Professor Herman van Bekkum has retired from this post. The Committee of FEZA offers a sincere vote of thanks to Herman for all of his hard work for FEZA.

During the 1^st International FEZA Conference in Eger, Hungary in September, 1999, Professor Carmine Colella of the University of Naples, Italy, was inaugurated as the new Chairman of FEZA.

This year saw the award of the first ever FEZA Prize for Ph.D. work in zeolites or related materials. Ten candidates from five FEZA-affiliated countries were nominated for the award, and all were deemed to be of high calibre.

The winner of the prize was Dr. Christian Rödenbeck, who performed his Ph.D. under the guidance of Professor Jörg Kärger at the University of Leipzig, Germany. His outstanding work was concerned with understanding, from a theoretical viewpoint, the consequences of single-file diffusion in zeolites for tracer exchange and chemical reaction.

During the 22^nd annual meeting of the British Zeolite Association in August 1999, Professor Herman van Bekkum (then Chairman of FEZA) awarded Professor Lovat Rees of Edinburgh University, Scotland, the title of "Honorary Member of FEZA" in honour of his many outstanding contributions to zeolite science, as well as his hard work as founder and editor of the journal Zeolites.

During the 1^st International FEZA Conference in September 1999, Professor Hermann Beyer of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences was awarded Honorary Membership of FEZA for his many outstanding contributions to zeolite science.

For further information on FEZA, please contact the FEZA Secretary, Dr. Eric N. Coker (CokerEN@bp.com).

Venue: Granada, Spain
http://lcpb00.lc.ehu.es/12icc/index.html
Email: eurocongres@mx3.redestb.es

Venue: Sendai, Japan

Prof. A. Miyamoto
Tohoku University
Email: zmpc2000@aki.che.tohoku.ac.jp

Venue: Quebec, Canada

www.chm.ulaval.ca/ISMMS2000

Prof. Serge Kaliaguine
Laval University
Email: kaliagui@gch.ulaval.ca

Venue: Kolobrzeg, Poland

http://main.amu.edu.pl/~zeoforum

Prof. Stanislaw Kowalak and Dr. Marek Laniecki
Adam Mickiewicz University
Email: zeoforum@main.amu.edu.pl
skowalak@main.amu.edu.pl
laniecki@main.amu.edu.pl

Venue: Ravello, Salerno province, Italy

Prof. P. Ciambelli
University of Salerno
Email: ciambell@dica.unisa.it

Venue: Brugge, Belgium

http://www.ti.kviv.be/conf/zeo.htm

Rita Peys
Technologisch Instituut vzw
Email: zeo@conferences.ti.kviv.be

Dr. Michael Anderson (Chairman), UMIST [m.anderson@umist.ac.uk]
Dr. Warren Smith (Past Chairman), BP Amoco Chemicals [smithwj@bp.com]
Dr. Craig Williams (Secretary), University of Wolverhampton [c.williams@wlv.ac.uk]
Dr. Paul Wright (Treasurer), University of St. Andrews [paw2@st-andrews.ac.uk]
Dr. Eric Coker (Eur. Affairs Officer), BP Amoco Chemicals [cokeren@bp.com]
Dr. Matt Chinn, DERA [mjchinn@dera.gov.uk]
Dr. John Stuart, ECC [John.Stuart@imerys.com]
Dr. Arthur Garforth, UMIST [a.garforth@umist.ac.uk]
Dr. Rob Bell [rob@ri.ac.uk]