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Title: Investigation of the mechanism of the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene over sulfided Co-Mo/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ catalysts--2. The effect of promotion by cobalt on the C-S bond cleavage and double-bond hydrogenation/dehydrogenation activities of tetrahydrothiophene and related compounds

Journal Article · · J. Catal.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6811136

The C-S bond cleavage of 1.33 mm Hg of tetrahydrothiophene or 1-butanethiol with 22 mm Hg of hydrogen or helium present was studied at 521/sup 0/K on alumina-supported, presulfided, hydrogen-reduced catalysts containing approx. 11.5Vertical Bar3< molybdenum trioxide and 0, 3.93, and 4.93Vertical Bar3< cobalt oxide. The products from tetrahydrothiophene were 1-butene, 2-butenes, butane, and 1,3-butadiene, and their distribution resembled that previously reported for the desulfurization of thiophene. Butanethiol yielded higher proportions of butane, which suggested that no interconversion between these two sulfur compounds occurs. The results confirmed that desulfurization and hydrogenation proceed on different but related sites, and indicated that ring hydrogenation of thiophene occurs prior to C-S bond cleavage. A mechanism is proposed which involves the hydrogenation of thiophene to tetrahydrothiophene, dehydrosulfurization to 1,3-butadiene, and subsequent hydrogenation to butenes and butane. The scheme differs from mechanisms developed by other researchers and may be specific to the low pressures used in the experiments.

Research Organization:
University of Bradford
OSTI ID:
6811136
Journal Information:
J. Catal.; (United States), Vol. 56:3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English