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Title: Chemistry of oxygenates on transition metal surfaces: Activation of C- H, C-C, and C-O bonds. Progress report, December 15, 1991

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10182066· OSTI ID:10182066

Goal is to understand the requirements for and competition between activation of C-H, C-C, and C-O bonds in the synthesis and decomposition of oxygenates on transition metal surfaces. Efforts during the past year was devoted primarily to the role of activation of {beta}-CH bonds in decarbonylation of higher oxygenates on surfaces of metals such as Rh and Pd; studies were completed of more than a dozen C{sub 1}-C{sub 3} oxygenates on Rh(111), and progress was made with reagents for which {beta}-CH scission is blocked. It is shown that alcohols and aldehydes do not react via a common pathway on on Rh(111). Ethanol and acetaldehyde are formed from CO + H{sub 2} by parallel routes on Rh catalysts which do not contain interacting supports or oxide promoters; i.e., the two compounds result from CO insertion into different metal-hydrocarbon bonds. Aldehydes decarbonylate via {alpha}-CH scission to form acyl, followed by C-C scission to release an alkyl ligand; this ligand undergoes hydrogenation and dehydrogenation steps. Alcohols form surface alkoxides, but these do not dehydrogenate further to the aldehydes, they release CO + H{sub 2} but no volatile hydrocarbon. These results indicate that {beta}-CH scissors to form a surface oxametallacycle intermediate; supporting evidence is spresented for this intermediate. Chemistry of alcohols blocked to different extends at the {beta}-position was also studied; complete blocking (CF{sub 3}CH{sub 2}OH) forces the reaction to follow the aldehyde-acyl path, while partial substitution at the {beta} position (branched alcohols) favors the oxametallacycle pathway. (DLC)

Research Organization:
Delaware Univ., Newark, DE (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
FG02-84ER13290
OSTI ID:
10182066
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/13290-8; ON: DE92040843
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: [1991]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English