How Do Acid-Base Sites Interact in Bifunctional Catalysis?
In bifunctional catalysis, both acidic and basic sites are present on the same catalyst. This allows for tandem reactions where one site activates the reactant while the other site facilitates the subsequent transformation. For example, esterification reactions often benefit from bifunctional catalysts where an acidic site catalyzes the formation of the ester, and a basic site removes the byproduct.