Patent ID: 8900547

Claim:
A process for preparing a high activity, large crystal ZSM-5 type zeolite in the absence of a template, the process comprising: (a) preparing a reaction mixture comprising water, a silica source having a surface area less than 150 m 2 /g, an alumina source, seeds, a source of an oxide of an alkali metal, M, and a source of gluconic acid or salt thereof, Q, wherein said mixture has a SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 molar ratio less than or equal to 40; (b) heating the reaction mixture at a crystallization temperature from about 100° C. to 200° C. for a time sufficient for crystals of ZSM-5 to form; and (c) recovering from the reaction mixture crystals of ZSM-5 having a SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 molar ratio less than or equal to 40, wherein a majority of the crystals have at least one crystalline dimension of at least about 2 μm.