The objective of this research was the development of new methods for the synthesis of zirconium oxide and sulfated zirconium oxide based on the preparation and utilization of novel single-source precursors based on zirconium carboxylate and zirconium sulfonate complexes. A variety of carboxylate and sulfonate compounds were treated with zirconium salts to yield new precursors. The oxide products obtained form the thermal pyrolysis of the precursors were analyzed and characterized using several techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and infrared spectroscopy. Additionally, supported sulfated zirconia was successfully obtained by dispersion of the oxide over a high surface area porous silica support known as MCM-41. The ability of the produced sulfated zirconias to catalyze two different industrial reactions was addressed. The first was the alkylation reaction of benzene utilizing ethers such as dibenzyl ether, n-butyl ether, and benzyl methyl ether as alkylating agents. The seChemistry Departmen
