Catalytic decompostiton of methyl nitrite over supported palladium catalysts in vapor phase

The vapor phase catalytic decomposition of methyl nitrite over supported palladium catalysts has been investigated. The catalytic activities were ranked in the following order: Pd/-Al₂O₃> Pd/A.C > Pd/-Al₂O₃ >Pd-Ti/-Al₂O₃. The acidic supports, such as HY zeolite, -Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ also exhibited moderate activity for methyl nitrite decomposition reactions. Several unusual features in the present decomposition reactions of methyl nitrite are discussed. A possible successive dehydrogenation mechanism was proposed to explain the facts observed in this study.