Formation of formic and acetic acids by low-temperature condensation of a mixture of methane and water vapor dissociated in MW discharge

Formic and acetic acids are formed by the low-temperature (77 K) condensation of a mixture of methane and water vapor dissociated by MW discharge at a low pressure. The effect of experimental conditions on the yield of HCOOH and AcOH was studied under different experimental conditions. The yields of H, OH, and O₂ from MW discharge in the CH₄+H₂O mixture were determined by ESR in the gas phase under the experimental conditions used to synthesize HCOOH and AcOH. The kinetics of the gas phase reactions in the connecting channel was simulated. The mechanism of formation of HCOOH and AcOH through the interaction of active species from the gas phase on the condensate surface was suggested. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 379–382, February, 2000.     

Adsorption of a four-component gas mixture on zeolite NaX

Adsorption of N₂, CH₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₈, and their mixture on zeolite NaX was studied by the volumetric method under static conditions at 278 K in the pressure range from 0.1 to 0.8 MPa. Compressibility factors were calculated in order to take into account the nonideal character of the gas phase. Adsorption isotherms of individual gases and partial isotherms were obtained. The adsorption properties of gases in the adsorption of a mixture and its components were compared. The selectivity coefficient of adsorption of propane in the N₂-CH₄-C₂H₆-C₃H₈-NaX system was calculated, and its dependence on the total pressure was determined.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 839–841, April, 1996.     

Separation of a binary gas mixture by pressure swing adsorption: Comparison of different PSA cycles

Gas separation of a binary gas mixture by various pressure swing adsorption (PSA) cycles was studied by a numerical simulation in order to provide a guidance in selecting PSA cycles. PSA cycles considered in this study are 3, 4-step cycles for production of only one component and a cycle with pressure equalization for production of a light component. 4 and 5-step cycles for simultaneous production of both components of a binary gas mixture are also considered. Separation of a CH₄/CO₂ gas mixture with zeolite 5A was chosen as a case study. Performances of cycles were examined and compared in view of purity, recovery and productivity. Their relative advantages were discussed. Inclusion of a purging step to a 3-step cycle for production of only one component improves a cycle performance. Further performance improvement of a cycle for production of a light component can be achieved by employing pressure equalization. Sircar's 4-step cycle with a recycle of effluent shows the best performance in view of purity and recovery among cycles for simultaneous production of both components.Nomenclature B Langmuir adsorption constant, bar^–1 - C concentration of sorbate in gas phase, mol/m³ - D defined by Eq. (7) - n amount of sorbate in solid phase, mol/kg - n _s monolayer amount adsorbed, mol/kg - P pressure, bar - R gas constant, J/mol K - T temperature, K - t time, s - U effluent gas velocity, m/s - z height of one cell, m - bulk density of a bed, kg/m³ - bed void fraction - A CH₄ - B CO₂ - H high pressure feed step - P purge step - R heavy-component rinse step - i cell number (i=1 toN)     

Temperature and pressure effects on CO2 and CH4 permeation through MFI zeolite membranes

Single gas and mixture permeances of CO₂ and CH₄ were measured as functions of pressure and temperature through three MFI zeolite membranes that have different fractions of their permeances through non-zeolite pores. The effect of pressure on CO₂ permeance, which was different for each membrane, was fit by a modified surface diffusion model. The differences in the pressure behavior of the membranes are attributed to pores with viscous and Knudsen flow. Membranes with the largest permeation through non-zeolite pores have the lowest CO₂/CH₄ mixture selectivity. The highest CO₂/CH₄ mixture selectivity is 5.5 at room temperature and decreases with temperature because of a decrease in competitive adsorption. Although increasing pressure at constant pressure drop increases the apparent CO₂/CH₄ selectivity, the ratio of the CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes decreases.     

Permeation of binary gas mixture through glassy polymer membranes with concentration-dependent diffusivities

An analytical solution has been obtained for the modified dual-mode mobility model for a single gas proposed by Zhou and Stern and extended to a binary gas mixture to describe the pressure dependence of mean permeability coefficients for CO₂ and CH₄ mixtures in homogeneous cellulose triacetate membranes. The permeabilities calculated from the model fitted the corresponding experimental results quite well. Permeation experiments for equimolar CO₂ and CH₄ mixture in a homogeneous membrane of methyl methacrylate and n-sbutyl acrylate copolymer were performed along with sorption experiments for pure CO₂ and CH₄ to test the applicability of the model. The experimental permeabilities were close to those calculated from the model.     

Characterization of the decomposition course of nickel acetate tetrahydrate in air

Thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffractometry and infrared spectroscopy showed that Ni(CH₃COO)₂·4H₂O decomposes completely at 500°C, giving rise to a mixture of Ni^o and NiO. The results revealed that the compound undergoes dehydration at 160°C and melts at 310°C. The water thus released hydrolyses surface acetate groups, acetic acid being evolved into the gas phase. At 330°C, the anhydrous acetate is converted into NiCO₃, releasing CH₃COCH₃ into the gas phase. The carbonate subsequently decomposes (at 365°C) to give NiO_(s), CO_2(g) and CO_(g). On further heating up to 373°C, a mixture of Ni^o and NiO is formed. Other gas-phase products were detected at 400°C, viz. CH₄ and (CH₃)₂CH=CH₂, which were formed in surface reactions involving initial gas-phase products. Non-isothermal kinetic parameters (A and ΔE) were calculated on the basis of temperature shifts experienced in the various decomposition processes as a function of heating rate (2–20 deg·min^?1).     

Permeation of pure carbon dioxide and methane and binary mixtures through cellulose acetate membranes

Steady-state permeation rates for pure CO₂ and CH₄ and their binary mixtures through homogeneous dense cellulose triacetate membranes have been measured at three temperatures between 20 and 40°C and pressures up to 2.8 MPa. The pressure dependence of the mean permeability coefficient for CO₂ can be described by the total immobilization model in conjunction with a modified free-volume model. No appreciable pressure dependence of the permeability coefficient for CH₄ is observed, while the permeability coefficients for CH₄ in binary mixture of CO₂ and CH₄ depend on applied gas pressure. The pressure dependences of the mean permeability coefficients for the components in the binary mixture are discussed in terms of the above mobility model. Membrane plasticization induced by CO₂ affects permeation by both gases.     

Optimizing the parameters of the steam-carbon dioxide conversion of methane by Gibbs energy minimization

The thermodynamic equilibrium for the steam-carbon dioxide conversion of methane was studied by Gibbs energy minimization. The degree of coke formation, the content of methane and carbon dioxide in the synthesis gas, and the synthesis gas H₂/CO ratio were plotted as functions of the molar ratios of CO₂/CH₄ and H₂O/CH₄ in the initial mixture at different temperatures and pressures. The regions of the optimum CH₄/CO₂/H₂O molar ratios for steam-carbon dioxide conversion were discovered, with no coke formation taking place in these regions. The optimized CH₄/CO₂/H₂O molar fractions characterized by the minimum content of methane and carbon dioxide in the synthesis gas were found for each region.     

Bulk Gas‐Phase Acidity

The capability of a gaseous Brønsted acid HB to deliver protons to a base is usually described by the gas‐phase acidity (GA) value of the acid. However, GA values are standard Gibbs energy differences and refer to individual gas pressures of 1 bar for acid HB, base B^?, and proton H⁺. We show that the GA value is not suited to describe the bulk acidity of a gaseous acid. Here the pressure dependence of the activities of HB, H(HB)_n⁺, and B(HB)_m^? that result from gaseous autoprotolysis have to be considered. In this work, the pressure‐dependent absolute chemical potential of the proton in the representative gaseous proton acids CH₄, NH₃, H₂O, HF, and HCl was worked out and the general theory to describe bulk gas phase acidity—that can directly be compared with solution acidity—was developed.     

Partial Oxidation of Methane to Methanol with Oxygen or Air in a Nonequilibrium Discharge Plasma

The partial oxidation of methane to methanol with oxygen or air was investigated experimentally and theoretically in a dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD). The predominant parameters of specific electric energy, oxygen content, flow rate, temperature, and gas pressure were determined in CH ₄ /O ₂ and CH ₄ /air mixtures. Optimum selectivities toward methanol formation were found at an oxygen concentration of about 15% in both feed gas mixtures. Low specific energy favors the selectivity toward methanol and suppresses the formation of carbon oxides. The experiments indicate that high methanol selectivities can be obtained at high methane conversion. The highest methanol yield of 3% and the highest methanol selectivity of about 30% were achieved in CH ₄ /O ₂ mixtures. In CH ₄ /air mixtures, as high as 2% methanol yield was also obtained. In addition, other useful products, like ethylene, ethane, propane, and ethanol, were detected. Experiment and numerical simulations show that the formation of H ₂ O and CO has a strong negative influence on methanol formation.     

Gas‐Phase Preparation of Carbonic Acid and Its Monomethyl Ester

Carbonic acid (H₂CO₃), an essential molecule of life (e.g., as bicarbonate buffer), has been well characterized in solution and in the solid state, but for a long time, it has eluded its spectral characterization in the gas phase owing to a lack of convenient preparation methods; microwave spectra were recorded only recently. Here we present a novel and general method for the preparation of H₂CO₃ and its monomethyl ester (CH₃OCO₂H) through the gas‐phase pyrolysis of di‐tert‐butyl and tert‐butyl methyl carbonate, respectively. H₂CO₃ and CH₃OCO₂H were trapped in noble‐gas matrices at 8 K, and their infrared spectra match those computed at high levels of theory [focal point analysis beyond CCSD(T)/cc‐pVQZ] very well. Whereas the spectra also perfectly agree with those of the vapor phase above the β‐polymorph of H₂CO₃, this is not true for the previously reported α‐polymorph. Instead, the vapor phase above α‐H₂CO₃ corresponds to CH₃OCO₂H, which sheds new light on the research that has been conducted on molecular H₂CO₃ over the last decades.     

Spectroscopic Characterization of CH4 + CO2 Plasmas Excited by a Dielectric Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

Plasma processing of a (CH ₄ +CO ₂ ) mixture can lead to the formation of synthesis gas (CO+H ₂ ). The use of a nonthermal plasma for this type of process seems very promising. We report here an electric and spectroscopic characteristic of plasma created in a (CH ₄ +CO ₂ ) mixture by a high-voltage, steep front-voltage (>10 ¹² V/s), very-short-pulse triggered dielectric barrier discharge in a tubular cell. Particular attention was payed to the determination of the rotational temperature for C ₂ . Time resolved investigation of the Swan band leads to an estimated value around 3000 K.     

Selective permeation of CO2 and CH4 through kapton polyimide: Effects of penetrant competition and gas-phase nonideality

Sorption isotherms for pure CO₂ and pure CH₄ in Kapton H® polymide films at 60°C are reported for pressures up to 20 atm and are analyzed in terms of the dual-mode sorption model. An experimental scheme for the measurement of steady-state permeabilities of both pure and mixed gas feeds is described. Permeabilities of Kapton to the individual components at 60°C are presented for a mixture comprised of 32.2% CO₂ in CH₄ as functions of feed pressure up to 590 psi (absolute). The permeabilities for the individual penetrants in the mixed feed are lower than the respective purecomponent values at the corresponding partial pressures. Furthermore, the permeabilities of both penetrants drop as the feed pressure is increased at constant composition. The dual-mobility transport model used to analyze the data postulates that the observed pressure and composition dependence of the permeabilities is due to competition between penetrants for a limited microvoid sorption capacity in the glassy polymer. It is demonstrated that in addition to flux depressions due to dual-mode effects, nonideality of the gas phase must be accounted for to explain the substantial flux depressions observed for the CO₂/CH₄ mixtured used in this study.     

Pure and Binary Gas Adsorption Equilibria and Kinetics of Methane and Nitrogen on 4A Zeolite by Isotope Exchange Technique

The Isotope Exchange Technique (IET) was used to simultaneously measure pure and binary gas adsorption equilibria and kinetics (self-diffusivities) of CH₄ and N₂ on pelletized 4A zeolite. The experiment was carried out isothermally without disturbing the adsorbed phase. CH₄ was selectively adsorbed over N₂ by the zeolite because of its higher polarizability. The multi-site Langmuir model described the pure gas and binary adsorption equilibria fairly well at three different temperatures. The selectivity of adsorption of CH₄ over N₂ increased with increasing pressure at constant gas phase composition and temperature. This curious behavior was caused by the differences in the sizes of the adsorbates. The diffusion of CH₄ and N₂ into the zeolite was an activated process and the Fickian diffusion model described the uptake of both pure gases and their mixtures. The self-diffusivity of N₂ was an order of magnitude larger than that for CH₄. The pure gas self-diffusivities for both components were constants over a large range of surface coverages (0 < < 0.5). The self-diffusivities of CH₄ and N₂ from their binary mixtures were not affected by the presence of each other, compared to their pure gas self-diffusivities at identical surface coverages.     

Co60 γ-radiation-induced copolymerization of ethylene and carbon monoxide

The γ-radiation-induced free-radical copolymerization of ethylene and CO has been investigated over a wide range of pressure, initial gas composition, radiation intensity, and temperature. At 20°C., concentrations of CO up to 1% retard the polymerization of ethylene. Above this concentration the rate reaches a maximum between 27.5 and 39.2% CO and then decreases. The copolymer composition increases only from 40 to 50% CO when the gas mixture is varied from 5 to 90% CO. A relatively constant reactivity ratio is obtained at 20°C., indicating that CO adds 23.6 times as fast as an ethylene monomer to an ethylene free-radical chain end. For a 50% CO gas mixture, the above value of 23.6 and the copolymerization rate decrease with increasing temperature to 200°C. The kinetic data indicate a temperature-dependent depropagation reaction. Infrared examination of copolymers indicates a polyketone structure containing ? CH₂? CH₂? and ? CO? units. The crystalline melting point increases rapidly from 111 to 242°C., as the CO concentration in the copolymer increases from 27 to 50%. Molecular weight of copolymer formed at 20°C. increased with increasing CO, indicating M?_n values >20,000. Increasing reaction temperature results in decreasing molecular weight. Onset of decomposition for a 50% CO copolymer was measured at ≈250°C.     

The partition coefficients of ethylene between vapor and hydrate phase for methane + ethylene + THF + water systems

The vapor-hydrate equilibria were studied experimentally in detail for CH₄ + C₂H₄ + tetrahydrofuran (THF) + water systems in the temperature range of 273.15–282.15 K, pressure range of 2.0–4.5 MPa, the initial gas–liquid volume ratio range of 45–170 standard volumes of gas per volume of liquid and THF concentration range of 4–12 mol%. The results demonstrated that, because of the presence of THF, ethylene was remarkably enriched in vapor phase instead of being enriched in hydrate phase for CH₄ + C₂H₄ + water system. This conclusion is of industrial significance; it implies that it is feasible to enrich ethylene from gas mixture, e.g., various kinds of refinery gases or cracking gases in ethylene plant, by forming hydrate.     

Effect of Functionalized Groups on Gas‐Adsorption Properties: Syntheses of Functionalized Microporous Metal–Organic Frameworks and Their High Gas‐Storage Capacity

The microporous metal–organic framework (MMOF) Zn₄O(L1)₂ ? 9 DMF ? 9 H₂O ( 1‐H ) and its functionalized derivatives Zn₄O(L1‐CH₃)₂ ? 9 DMF ? 9 H₂O ( 2‐CH₃ ) and Zn₄O(L1‐Cl)₂ ? 9 DMF ? 9 H₂O ( 3‐Cl ) have been synthesized and characterized (H₃L1=4‐[N,N‐bis(4‐methylbenzoic acid)amino]benzoic acid, H₃L1‐CH₃=4‐[N,N‐bis(4‐methylbenzoic acid)amino]‐2‐methylbenzoic acid, H₃L1‐Cl=4‐[N,N‐bis(4‐methylbenzoic acid)amino]‐2‐chlorobenzoic acid). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analyses confirmed that the two functionalized MMOFs are isostructural to their parent MMOF, and are twofold interpenetrated three‐dimensional (3D) microporous frameworks. All of the samples possess enduring porosity with Langmuir surface areas over 1950 cm² g^?1. Their pore volumes and surface areas decrease in the order 1‐H > 2‐CH₃ > 3‐Cl . Gas‐adsorption studies show that the H₂ uptakes of these samples are among the highest of the MMOFs (2.37 wt % for 3‐Cl at 77 K and 1 bar), although their structures are interpenetrating. Furthermore, this work reveals that the adsorbate–adsorbent interaction plays a more important role in the gas‐adsorption properties of these samples at low pressure, whereas the effects of the pore volumes and surface areas dominate the gas‐adsorption properties at high pressure.     

Separation of CO2 and CH4 by a DDR membrane

The permeation of CO₂ and CH₄ and their binary mixtures through a DDR membrane has been investigated over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The synthesized DDR membrane exhibits a high permeance and maintains a very high selectivity for CO₂. At a total pressure of 101 kPa, the highest selectivity for CO₂ in a 50∶50 feed mixture was found to be over 4000 at 225 K. This is ascribed to the higher adsorption affinity, as well as to the higher mobility for the smaller CO₂ molecules in the zeolite, preventing the bypassing of the CH₄ through the membrane. An engineering model, based on the generalized Maxwell-Stefan equations, has been used to interpret the transport phenomena in the membrane. The feasibility of DDR membranes as applied to CO₂ removal from natural gas or biogas is anticipated.     

Kinetic study of the oxidation reaction of 4-methylphenyl radical

A kinetic study of the reaction of the 4-methylphenyl radical (4-C₆H₄CH₃) with the oxygen molecule was conducted using experimental and theoretical approaches. The absorption spectrum for the λ = 266 nm photolysis of the 4-C₆H₄CH₃X (X = Cl, Br)/N₂/O₂ mixture was measured in the wavelength range of λ = 503-512 nm using N₂ as the buffer gas at a total pressure of 40 Torr using a cavity ring-down spectroscopy apparatus coupled with a pulsed laser photolysis system. Based on the absorbance of the product of the 4-C₆H₄CH₃ + O₂ reaction at λ = 504 nm, the reaction rate coefficient for the 4-C₆H₄CH₃ + O₂ reaction was determined to be k = (1.21 ± 0.10) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ and k = (1.18 ± 0.21) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ using 4-C₆H₄CH₃Cl and 4-C₆H₄CH₃Br, respectively, as the radical precursor. And there was no pressure dependence in the total pressure range of 10-90 Torr varying partial pressure of N₂ buffer gas at T = 296 ± 5 K. The geometries, vibration frequencies, and potential energy surfaces of the reactants, major products, and transition states in the 4-C₆H₄CH₃ + O₂ reaction were determined using the CBS-QB3 method. The k value at the high-pressure limit was calculated to be 1.26 × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ using the variational transition-state theory. The calculated value of k was consistent with the experimental value, which indicated that the 4-C₆H₄CH₃ + O₂ reaction reaches the high-pressure limit at 10 Torr. Therefore, the oxidation of the 4-C₆H₄CH₃ radical is almost 10 times faster than that of the benzyl radical, which has the same chemical formula, at the high-pressure limit.     

Temperature‐ and Pressure‐Dependent Kinetics of CH2OO + CH3COCH3 and CH2OO + CH3CHO: Direct Measurements and Theoretical Analysis

The rate coefficients of the gas‐phase reactions CH₂OO + CH₃COCH₃ and CH₂OO + CH₃CHO have been experimentally determined from 298–500 K and 4–50 Torr using pulsed laser photolysis with multiple‐pass UV absorption at 375 nm, and products were detected using photoionization mass spectrometry at 10.5 eV. The CH₂OO + CH₃CHO reaction's rate coefficient is ～4 times faster over the temperature 298–500 K range studied here. Both reactions have negative temperature dependence. The T dependence of both reactions was captured in simple Arrhenius expressions: The rate of the reactions of CH₂OO with carbonyl compounds at room temperature is two orders of magnitude higher than that reported previously for the reaction with alkenes, but the A factors are of the same order of magnitude. Theoretical analysis of the entrance channel reveals that the inner 1,3‐cycloaddition transition state is rate limiting at normal temperatures. Predicted rate‐coefficients (RCCSD(T)‐F12a/cc‐pVTZ‐F12//B3LYP/MG3S level of theory) in the low‐pressure limit accurately reproduce the experimentally observed temperature dependence. The calculations only qualitatively reproduce the A factors and the relative reactivity between CH₃CHO and CH₃COCH₃. The rate coefficients are weakly pressure dependent, within the uncertainties of the current measurements. The predicted major products are not detectable with our photoionization source, but heavier species yielding ions with masses m/z = 104 and 89 are observed as products from the reaction of CH₂OO with CH₃COCH₃. The yield of m/z = 89 exhibits positive pressure dependence that appears to have already reached a high‐pressure limit by 25 Torr.