Carbenium ions revealed

An important insight into the mechanism of hydrocarbon reactions has been revealed by chemists working in France. 

Catalysed transformations of hydrocarbons are important in the petrochemical industry but their inertness must be overcome by working at high temperature and pressure. Jean Sommer and colleagues at the University of Strasbourg have shown the presence of carbenium ions in hydrocarbon transformation on zeolite mineral catalysts. These ions are generally accepted as reaction intermediates but their formation is still not fully understood.  More...

http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemScience/Volume/2010/05/Carbenium_ions.asp