Catalysts for the industrial manufacture of phosgene

According to Atkinson et al., highly active charcoal effects the conversion of a mixture of CO and Cl 2 at a temperature below 50 C [89]. Other workers, however, have found that commercial charcoals, supplied for phosgene manufacture, do not catalyse the CO/Clj reaction, even at temperatures as high as 100 C. After treatment with dichlorine the catalyst was active above 80 C [ICI72]. 

The sorption properties of phosgene on charcoals has been described in Section 4.4. 

Other materials proposed to effect the reaction of Cl j with CO include a catalyst prepared from the heating of natural magnesite (magnesium carbonate) at 400-500 C [689]. 

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