The mechanism of hydroisomerization involves several steps:
Hydrogenation: The linear hydrocarbon is first hydrogenated at the metallic site, converting it into a saturated form. Carbocation Formation: At the acidic site, the saturated hydrocarbon undergoes protonation to form a carbocation intermediate. Isomerization: The carbocation rearranges to form a more stable branched carbocation. Dehydrogenation: Finally, the branched carbocation is dehydrogenated back at the metallic site to form the desired branched isomer.
