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Mechanistic studies of direct ethylene glycol synthesis from carbon monoxide and hydrogen 2. Homogeneous ruthenium catalyst

Journal Article · · Journal of Catalysis; (United States)
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Osaka (Japan)

Mechanistic studies on direct syngas conversion to ethylene glycol by a homogeneous Ru catalyst combined with N-methylbenzimidazole (NMBI) were performed. High-pressure IR studies showed that Ru(CO){sub 5} (A), Ru(CO){sub 4}L (B), and (LH){sup +}(Ru{sub 3}H(CO){sub 11}){sup {minus}} (C) (L = NMBI) coexist at equilibrium in the catalyst solution as major species. It was found that the activity of CO hydrogenation was proportional to the concentration of the complex (B). A neutral hydride complex, H{sub 2}Ru(CO){sub 3}L, derived from the complex (B) was considered to be the active form. Kinetic studies by means of complete-mixing flow-reaction experiments indicated that NMBI added to the Ru catalyst enhanced both the formation and the hydroformylation of formaldehyde (FAL), the key intermediate, and the subsequent reactions of FAL were rate-determining. It was suggested that NMBI enriches the Ru hydride species and accelerates the CO insertion to the hydride and the hydroxymethyl species by acting as a ligand and a base. The Ru anionic hydride species has a much lower activity for the CO hydrogenation to form FAL and a higher activity for the MeOH formation that proceeds via the methoxy species. The studies on catalyst concentration dependencies by means of batchwise reaction revealed the involvement of dinuclear mechanisms, which probably worked in the reductive elimination of the acyl complexes.

OSTI ID:
7107071
Journal Information:
Journal of Catalysis; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Catalysis; (United States) Vol. 133:2; ISSN 0021-9517; ISSN JCTLA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English