Showing papers in "Advances in Catalysis in 2002"

Hydrogen and Synthesis gas by Steam- and CO2 reforming

Abstract: Steam reforming reactions will play a key role in new applications of synthesis gas and in a future hydrogen economy. The aim of this review is to provide a coherent description of the catalysis of the reforming reactions. The review is not comprehensive. The first section deals with the applications of synthesis gas and hydrogen and the various synthesis gas technologies. The optimum choice of technology depends on the requirements of the gas composition and the scale of operation. Two examples are included for illustration: synthesis gas for gas-to-liquid plants and hydrogen for fuel cells. The steam reforming process is described in the second section with emphasis on the role of the catalyst and problems related to carbon formation. The third section is a summary of the empirical evidence of the catalysis of the reforming reactions. The methods of characterization are discussed, and data representing sintering, activity trends, and promotion are summarized. The fourth section is a description of the mechanism based on a combination of empirical knowledge with recent data from studies of well-defined surfaces, in-situ high-resolution electron microscopy, and calculations based on density functional theory. The central concept is the role of surface defects as the source of reactivity and the nucleation centers for whisker carbon formation.

Characterization of oxide surfaces and zeolites by carbon monoxide as an IR probe molecule

Abstract: The review is a summary and analysis of the data characterizing CO adsorption on surface cationic sites of oxides including supported materials and microporous and mesoporous materials. The contributions of various types of CO bonding to the IR frequency shifts of carbon-bonded molecules are analyzed, namely, the increase of the CO stretching frequency in cases of electrostatic and σ bonding and the decrease of the frequency with π bonding. Polycarbonyls, bridging CO, oxygen-bonded CO, and tilted CO are also considered. The main part of the review is a collection of the experimental results characterizing carbonyls of individual metal ions. The spectral behavior of CO bonded to metal atoms is also assessed in the cases when the metal ions are easily reduced to metal (Cu, Ag, Au, Pd, or Pt) or cationic carbonyls are produced after CO adsorption on supported metals (Ru, Rh, Ir, and Os). The interaction of CO with surface OH groups is also considered. It is demonstrated that IR spectroscopy of adsorbed CO is an efficient methodology to characterize cationic surface sites in terms of their nature, oxidation states, coordination environment and coordinative unsaturation, and location at faces, edges or corners of microcrystallites. When applied to materials with surface hydroxyl groups CO undergoes hydrogen bonding and information can be collected on the proton acid strength.

Hydroformylation of alkenes: An industrial view of the status and importance

Abstract: The hydroformylation (or “oxo”) reaction is one of the important reactions for the manufacture of building blocks for the chemical industry. This reaction is among the most thoroughly investigated homogeneously catalyzed processes and has been characterized by a steady improvement in its scientific understanding, efficiency, and economics. This exciting field is outlined from an industry viewpoint.

Oxide solid solutions as catalysts

Abstract: This review traces the development of oxide solid solutions as catalysts from their first use in the 1960s to their current application in basic and applied research. Oxide solid solutions provide the means to control the properties of catalytically active ions in defined surface environments. When applied to transition metal (TM) ions, interaction with neighbors can be suppressed or progressively developed, depending on the concentration chosen for the active solute and the structure of the insulating matrix selected as solvent oxide. Simple examples are nickel, cobalt and chromium ions in MgO and MgAl 2 O 4 . The successful preparation of solid solutions demands a knowledge of the reactivity of solids and the behavior of crystal defects. This is exemplified in the methods described for preparing solid solutions of low and high specific surface area, respectively. Characterization receives detailed attention and the methods specific to oxide solid solutions are illustrated. Emphasis is placed on quantitative determination of surface composition for which X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy is the most widely applicable technique. The acidity and basicity of oxide solid solution surfaces is linked with coordinative unsaturation and this aspect of characterization involves adsorption calorimetry and infra-red spectroscopy. The account of oxide solid solutions as catalysts is divided into two parts. The first comprises studies where solid solutions have been used as model catalysts to identify and compare the catalytic properties of individual TM ions. For this purpose the catalysis of N 2 0 decomposition, CO oxidation and H 2 D 2 equilibration have long served as prototypical test reactions. These simple reactions enable issues such as the distinctive behavior of isolated ions, pairs and chains to be addressed and matrix effects to be explored. The motivation here is detailed understanding of catalysis on highly characterized microcrystalline oxides. The second catalytic part is broader in scope and focuses to a greater extent on the application of oxide solid solutions as catalysts for reactions of industrial interest. Combustion of hydrocarbons is a high-temperature reaction for which perovskite-structured solid solution catalysts are especially attractive since they accommodate a wide range of TM and main group ions in solid solution. A second sector covered is selective oxidation of hydrocarbons. Oxide solid solutions containing TM ions made an early entry as catalysts for alkene conversion and remained when interest switched to alkanes. The solid solution approach featured strongly in the search for methane coupling catalysts and currently contributes in a new guise in titanium silicalite. The acidity developed at solute sites is the source of activity for carbenium ion catalysis. SAPOs and McAPOs fall within the solid solution domain as covalently-bonded counterparts of ionic solid solutions. Finally, reduced solid solutions with phase-separated transition metal clusters are effective catalysts for reforming of alkanes.