Hydrogenolysis of dimethyl disulfide in the presence of bimetallic sulfide catalysts

The hydrogenolysis of dimethyl disulfide in the presence of Ni,Mo and Co,Mo bimetallic sulfide catalysts was studied at atmospheric pressure and T = 160–400°C. At T ≤ 200°C, dimethyl disulfide undergoes hydrogenolysis at the S-S bond, yielding methanethiol in 95–100% yield. The selectivity of the reaction decreases with increasing residence time and temperature due to methanethiol undergoing condensation to dimethyl disulfide and hydrogenolysis at the C-S bond to yield methane and hydrogen sulfide. The specific activity of the Co,Mo/Al₂O₃ catalyst in hydrogenolysis at the S-S and C-S bonds is equal to or lower than the total activity of the monometallic catalysts. The Ni,Mo/Al₂O₃ catalyst is twice as active as the Ni/Al₂O₃ + Mo/Al₂O₃ or the cobalt-molybdenum bimetallic catalyst.     

Hydrogenolysis of Dimethyl Disulfide to Methanethiol in the Presence of Cobalt Sulfide Catalysts

The hydrogenolysis of dimethyl disulfide to methanethiol at T = 180–260°C and atmospheric pressure in the presence of supported cobalt sulfide catalysts has been studied. Cobalt sulfide on aluminum oxide exhibits a higher activity than that on a carbon support or silicon dioxide. The maximum reaction rate per gram of a catalyst is observed on an 8% Co/Al₂O₃ catalyst. At temperatures of up to 200°C and conversions up to 90%, methanethiol is formed with nearly 100% selectivity regardless of the cobalt content, whereas the selectivity for methanethiol under more severe conditions decreases because of its condensation to dimethyl sulfide.     

Activity of cobalt sulfide catalysts in the hydrogenolysis of dimethyl disulfide to methanethiol: Effects of the nature of a support and the procedure of supporting a cobalt precursor

The conversion of dimethyl disulfide to methanethiol on various catalysts containing supported cobalt sulfide in an atmosphere of hydrogen was studied at atmospheric pressure and T = 190°C. On CoS introduced into the channels of zeolite HSZM-5, the process occurred at a high rate but with a low selectivity for methanethiol because the proton centers of the support participated in a side reaction with the formation of dimethyl sulfide and hydrogen sulfide. Under the action of sulfide catalysts supported onto a carbon support, aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, and an amorphous aluminosilicate, the decomposition of dimethyl disulfide to methanethiol occurred with 95–100% selectivity. The CoS/Al₂O₃ catalysts were found to be most efficient. The specific activity of alumina-cobalt sulfide catalysts only slightly depended on the phase composition and specific surface area of Al₂O₃. The conditions of the thermal treatment and sulfurization of catalysts and, particularly, the procedure of supporting a cobalt precursor onto the support were of key importance. Catalysts prepared through the stage of supporting nanodispersed cobalt hydroxide were much more active than the catalysts based on supported cobalt salts.     

Conversion of dimethyl disulfide in the presence of zeolites

Dimethyl disulfide conversion in the presence of zeolites was studied at atmospheric pressure and T = 190–350°C. For all catalysts, the products of the reaction at T = 190°C—methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, and hydrogen sulfide—result directly from dimethyl disulfide. The relative reaction rate and the dimethyl sulfide selectivity decreases in the order HZSM-5 ≥ CoHZSM-5 > HNaY > NaX, NaY. The methanethiol formation selectivity changes in the reverse order. The highest methanethiol selectivity at T = 190°C is shown by the sodium zeolites; the highest dimethyl sulfide selectivity, by the high-silicz zeolite HZSM-5. Raising the reaction temperature increases the reaction rate and changes the process route: at high temperatures, dimethyl disulfide decomposes to methanethiol, which then condenses to yield dimethyl sulfide and hydrogen sulfide. The observed regularities are explained in terms of the different acidic properties of the zeolite surfaces.     

Activity of catalysts in the synthesis of dimethyl sulfide from dimethyl disulfide

Dimethyl disulfide conversion at T = 190–350°C over catalysts containing acid and basic sites is reported. The products of this reaction are dimethyl sulfide, methanethiol, hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, methane, and ethylene. At 190°C, these products form via parallel reactions. At higher temperature of up to 350°C, dimethyl sulfide can form by the condensation of the resulting methanethiol. The strong basic sites of the catalysts are uninvolved in dimethyl sulfide formation. Over catalysts whose surface has only strong protonic or strong Lewis acid sites, dimethyl sulfide formation does take place, but slowly and nonselectively. The highest dimethyl sulfide formation activity and selectivity are shown by catalysts having medium-strength basic sites along with strong protonic and strong Lewis acid sites.     

Selective Hydrogenation of Diethyl Disulfide to Ethanethiol in the Presence of Sulfide Catalysts

The gas-phase reaction of diethyl disulfide hydrogenation at atmospheric pressure in the presence of supported transition metal sulfides was studied. The reaction of diethyl disulfide with hydrogen at T = 200°C resulted in ethanethiol, and the selectivity to ethanethiol was no lower than 94%. The selectivity decreased at a higher temperature because of diethyl disulfide decomposition to ethylene and hydrogen sulfide. The reaction of diethyl disulfide in the presence of hydrogen occurred at a higher rate and selectivity than that in an atmosphere of helium. The activity of metal sulfides supported on aluminum oxide was higher than on the other studied supports—aluminosilicate, silica gel, and a carbon support. Metal sulfides supported on Al₂O₃ were arranged in the following order according to their activity: Rh > Ru > Mo Pd > Ni > W. Bimetallic catalysts were less active than monometallic catalysts. The activity of catalysts increased with the sulfide sulfur content; the partial reduction of metal sulfides also increased the catalytic activity.     

Synthesis of dimethyl ether from CO and H<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Thermodynamic conditions for synthesizing dimethyl ether from synthesis gas are determined. The optimum conditions of the process are as follow: T ∼ 300°C at p = 3 MPa for two catalysts loaded into the reactor: methanol synthesis catalyst (Katalco-58) and catalyst of methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether (γ-Al₂O₃). The changes that occur with the catalysts during this process are demonstrated by electron scanning microscopy.     

Dimethyl disulfide catalytic conversion into methanethiol in the presence of water

The processes of dimethyl disulfide conversion yielding methanethiol, ethylene and hydrogen sulfide, and the disproportionation of methanethiol formed in this reaction into hydrogen sulfide and dimethyl sulfide proceed on acid-base type catalysts at 350°C in the presence of water. Catalysts with weak proton sites exhibit low activity, which increases with the increasing surface acidity. Catalysts with weak Lewis acid sites and strong basic sites are most active and selective in the reaction of methanethiol formation. The presence of water inhibits the side reaction of disproportionation, thus enhancing the methanethiol formation selectivity. V. N. Yakovleva and L. G. Sakhaltueva participated in the experimental part of this work.     

Influence of the heat treatment conditions on the activity of the CoMo/Al2O3 catalyst for deep hydrodesulfurization of diesel fractions

The effect of the heat treatment temperature on the sulfidation and activity of CoMo/Al₂O₃ catalysts designed for deep hydrodesulfurization of diesel fuel was studied. The catalysts were prepared using citric acid as a chelating ligand. The organic ligands present in the samples heat-treated at 110 and 220°C retard the decomposition of dimethyl disulfide and the formation of the sulfide phase but make the catalyst more active than the samples calcined at higher temperatures.     

Kinetic Model of the Reaction of Methanol with Hydrogen Sulfide

The kinetics of the reaction of methanol with hydrogen sulfide in the presence of an IKT-31 catalyst was experimentally studied. The experiments were performed in a fixed-bed flow reactor under the following conditions: T = 598-653 K, P = 0.1-1.0 MPa, and P⁰ _{H 2 S}/P⁰ _Me =0.4-15.0. Rate equations were derived which describe the rates of formation of methanethiol as the main product and dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl ether as by-products. The rate constants and activation energies were found by the mathematical treatment of experimental data. The model proposed can be used for reactor design.     

Effect of calcination temperature on the physicochemical and catalytic properties of FeSO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in hydrogen sulfide oxidation

The effect of calcination temperature on the state of the active component of iron-containing catalysts prepared by the impregnation of silica gel with a solution of FeSO₄ and on their catalytic properties in selective H₂S oxidation to sulfur was studied. With the use of thermal analysis, XPS, and Mössbauer spectroscopy, it was found that an X-ray amorphous iron-containing compound of complex composition was formed on the catalyst surface after thermal treatment in the temperature range of 400–500°C. This compound contained Fe³⁺ cations in three nonequivalent positions characteristic of various oxy and hydroxy sulfates and oxide and sulfate groups as anions. Calcination at 600°C led to the almost complete removal of sulfate groups; as a result, the formation of an oxide structure came into play, and it was completed by the production of finely dispersed iron oxide in the ?-Fe₂O₃ modification (the average particle size of 3.2 nm) after treatment at 900°C. As the calcination temperature was increased from 500 to 700°C, an increase in the catalyst activity in hydrogen sulfide selective oxidation was observed because of a change in the state of the active component. A comparative study of the samples by temperature-programmed sulfidation made it possible to establish that an increase in the calcination temperature leads to an increase in the stability of the iron-containing catalysts to the action of a reaction atmosphere.     

Kinetics of Iron-catalyzed decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in alkaline solution

The decomposition of alkaline hydrogen peroxide solutions at 20°C has been studied in the presence of both supported iron catalysts and in systems with iron initially in solution. Studies with an iron-alumina supported catalyst showed the decomposition reaction was first order with respect to total peroxide concentration, while studies with alkaline Fe³⁺ produced more complex behavior. This has been attributed to the presence of at least two distinct catalytically active iron species. The first species is highly active and gives rise to high initial rates of reaction. A decrease in concentration of this species is observed together with an increase in concentration of a second, less active, iron species. The catalytic behavior of this “aged” iron species was found to be very similar to that of the supported iron catalyst.     

Ethylene polymerization over supported catalysts [2,6‐bis(imino)pyridyl iron dichloride/magnesium dichloride] with AlR3 as an activator

Data on ethylene polymerization over supported LFeCl₂/MgCl₂ catalysts {L = 2,6‐bis[1‐(2,6‐dimethylphenylimino)ethyl]pyridyl} containing AlR₃ (R = Me, Et, i‐Bu, or n‐Oct) as an activator are presented. These catalysts are highly active (100–300 kg of polyethylene/g of Fe h bar of C₂H₄) and stable in ethylene polymerization at 70–80 °C. Data on the effects of the iron content, AlR₃ type, Al(i‐Bu)₃ concentration, and hydrogen presence on the catalyst activity are presented. The molecular structure of polyethylene produced with these catalysts (including the molecular masses, molecular mass distribution, branching, and number of C?C bonds) has been studied; data on the effects of AlR₃ and hydrogen on the molecular structure are presented. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2128–2133, 2005     

Enhanced methane decomposition over transition metal-based tri-metallic catalysts for the production of COx free hydrogen

In this study, COx-free hydrogen production via methane decomposition was studied over Cu–Zn-promoted tri-metallic Ni–Co–Al catalysts. The catalysts have been prepared by the constant pH co-precipitation method, and the nominal Ni metal loading was fixed at 50 wt % along with other metals at 10 wt% each. The catalyst activity for methane decomposition reaction was examined in a reactor between 400 °C and 700 °C and at atmospheric pressure. Different techniques such as N₂-physisorption, X-ray diffraction, H₂-TPR SEM, TEM, ICP-MS, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy were applied to characterize the catalysts. The relation between the catalyst composition and their catalytic activity has been investigated. The controlled synthesis has resulted in a series of catalysts with a high surface area. Ni–Co–Cu–Zn–Al was the most active and productive catalyst. Various characterizations indicate that the promotional effects of Cu–Zn interaction were the critical factor in catalysts' activity and stability. Ni–Co–Cu–Zn catalyst gave the highest methane conversion of 85% at 700 °C. Zn addition improves the stability of the catalyst by retaining the active metal size during the decomposition reaction. The catalyst was active for 80 h of stability study. The rapid deactivation of the Ni–Co catalyst was due to the sintering of the catalyst at 650 °C. Moreover, carbon species accumulated during the methane decomposition reaction depend on the catalysts' composition. Zn promotes the growth of reasonably long and thin carbon nanotubes, whereas the diameter of carbon nanotubes on unpromoted catalysts was large.     

Water splitting as a tool for obtaining insight into metal–support interactions in catalysis

This review is focused on the use of the water splitting reaction for characterizing oxygen vacancies in supported metal catalysts and more generally to get insight into the high-temperature modifications of metal–support interactions. Three supports widely used in catalysis are considered, namely alumina, silica and ceria. The catalysts were reduced at temperatures T_R ranging from 200 to 1000 °C. The reaction with water was carried out at temperatures T_OX ranging from 100 to 1000 °C. In every case, the metal (Rh or Pt) was chosen among those which are not oxidizable by water. Extensive investigations of the reactivity of water with unsupported metals and films confirmed this choice. The reaction is then selective for the titration of O vacancies, generally associated with reduced cations of the support. On alumina-supported catalysts, reduction at T_R > 600 °C leads to the formation of oxygen vacancies strictly confined to the periphery of metal particles. The amount of hydrogen produced Q_H is coherent with the peripheral oxygen density. Reduction of silica-supported catalysts at T_R > 600 °C generates metal silicides that can be selectively destroyed by water with reformation of silica and metal nanoparticles. Oxygen vacancies are formed on ceria catalysts at 200 °C. These oxygen vacancies are confined to the surface up to 600 °C. At higher temperatures, oxygen vacancies are formed in the bulk: about 50% of CeO₂ would be reduced at 900 °C. The amount of H₂ produced by reaction with water is thus very high on metal-ceria catalysts. At T_R > 900 °C, metal cerides start to form. Remarkably, a significant reactivity of H₂O on a Rh/CeO₂ catalyst reduced at 850 °C is recorded as of 100 °C. However, the quantitative titration of oxygen vacancies required temperatures T_OX > 500 °C. As a rule, the technique of water splitting allows the detection of 1 μmol g⁻¹ of oxygen vacancies, i.e. a few 0.1% of the surface in the case of reducible oxides of 10–20 m² g⁻¹.     

Gold, palladium and gold–palladium supported on silica catalysts prepared by sol–gel method: synthesis, characterization and catalytic behavior in the ethanol steam reforming

Noble-metal-based catalysts supported on silica (Au/SiO₂, Pd/SiO₂ and Au–Pd/SiO₂) were prepared by the sol–gel method and were evaluated in the steam reforming of ethanol for hydrogen production. The catalysts were characterized by N₂ physisorption (BET/BJH methods), X-ray diffraction, temperature programmed reduction analysis, H₂ chemisorption, atomic absorption spectrophotometry and Raman spectroscopy. The structural characterization of the Au- and Pd-containing catalysts after calcination showed that the solids are predominantly formed by Au⁰, Pd⁰ and PdO species and was observed that the metallic Pd dispersion diminished in the presence of Au⁰. The results revealed that the catalytic behavior could be influenced by the experimental conditions and the nature of the catalyst employed. The Pd/SiO₂ catalyst showed the best performance among the catalysts tested at the highest reaction temperature (600 °C) due to the more effective action of the metallic active phase, which covers a greater area in this sample. At this same reaction temperature, the Au–Pd/SiO₂ catalyst showed a significant deactivation, probably due to the lower Pd dispersion presented by this catalyst.     

Mechanism of CO oxidation in excess H2 over CuO/CeO2 catalysts: ESR and TPD studies

The oxidation of CO with oxygen over (0.25–6.4)% CuO/CeO₂ catalysts in excess H₂ is studied. CO conversion increases and the temperature range of the reaction decreases by 100 K as the CuO content is raised. The maximal CO conversion, 98.5%, is achieved on 6.4% CuO/CeO₂ at 150°C. At T > 150°C, the CO conversion decreases as a result of the deactivation of part of the active sites because of the dissociative adsorption of hydrogen. CO is efficiently adsorbed on the oxidized catalyst to form CO-Cu⁺ carbonyls on Cu₂O clusters and is oxidized by the oxygen of these clusters, whereas it is neither adsorbed nor oxidized on Cu⁰ of the reduced catalysts. The activity of the catalysts is recovered after the dissociative adsorption of O₂ on Cu⁰ at T ～ 150°C. The activation energies of CO, CO₂, and H₂O desorption are estimated, and the activation energy of CO adsorption yielding CO-Cu⁺ carbonyls is calculated in the framework of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model.     

Dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether over modified vermiculites

Vermiculite materials pillared with alumina and modified with titanium were tested as catalysts for methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether. The different samples were characterized by powder XRD, TG, nitrogen adsorption, and pyridine adsorption followed by FTIR. Catalytic activity was evaluated in the temperature range 250–450 °C using different hourly space velocities, in the absence and in the presence of water in the feed. Modified vermiculites were shown to be active and selective in methanol dehydration. Al pillaring was found to result in more active catalysts than in the case of the modification with TiO₂. The influence of methanol hourly space velocity did not have a significant effect on methanol conversion, but it changed drastically selectivity to dimethyl ether at the beginning of the reaction. The addition of water had a negative effect on the catalysts’ activity and led to a faster catalyst deactivation.     

Catalytic tail-to-tail dimerization of methyl acrylate using bis(triphenylphosphine)tricarbonyl ruthenium(0)

The complex Ru(CO)₃(PPh₃)₂ catalyzes the dimerization of methyl acrylate at 120–140°C to give tail-to-tail dimers containing predominantly dimethyl (E)-2-hexene-1,6-dioate together with small amounts of trimers and polymer. The reaction under hydrogen atmosphere selectively gave tail-to-tail dimers in improved yield without formation of trimers and polymer. Under these conditions a catalyst turnover number of 246 was obtained at 130°C in 6 h.     

Effect of thermal treatment on phase composition and ethanol oxidation activity of a carbon supported Pt50Sn50 alloy catalyst

A carbon supported Pt–Sn electrocatalyst in the Pt/Sn atomic ratio 50:50 was prepared by the reduction of Pt and Sn precursors with formic acid and thermally treated at 200 °C (i.e., in the presence of solid tin) and 500 °C (in the presence of molten tin) in flowing hydrogen. In the absence of thermal treatment, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed a solid solution of Sn in the face centered cubic (fcc) Pt and SnO₂. After thermal treatment, the formation of a main phase of hexagonal PtSn (niggliite) and a secondary phase of cubic Pt₃Sn was observed in the Pt50Sn50 catalyst. The relative amount of the PtSn phase increased with increasing thermal treatment temperature. The presence of molten tin gave rise to the formation of some big particles during annealing at 500 °C. The activity for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) of the as-prepared catalyst was higher than that of both thermally treated catalysts and Pt75Sn25/C and Pt50Ru50/C by E-TEK. The higher activity for the EOR of the as-prepared Pt–Sn catalysts was ascribed to the presence of a large amount of SnO₂. Dedicated to Teresa Iwasita’s 65th birthday.