Catalysts hydrogenation reactions

A halogen atom directly attached to a benzene ring is usually unreactive, unless it is activated by the nature and position of certain other substituent groups. It has been show n by Ullmann, however, that halogen atoms normally of low reactivity will condense with aromatic amines in the presence of an alkali carbonate (to absorb the hydrogen halide formed) and a trace of copper powder or oxide to act as a catalyst. This reaction, known as the Ullmant Condensation, is frequently used to prepare substituted diphenylamines it is exemplified... 

The earliest examples of analytical methods based on chemical kinetics, which date from the late nineteenth century, took advantage of the catalytic activity of enzymes. Typically, the enzyme was added to a solution containing a suitable substrate, and the reaction between the two was monitored for a fixed time. The enzyme s activity was determined by measuring the amount of substrate that had reacted. Enzymes also were used in procedures for the quantitative analysis of hydrogen peroxide and carbohydrates. The application of catalytic reactions continued in the first half of the twentieth century, and developments included the use of nonenzymatic catalysts, noncatalytic reactions, and differences in reaction rates when analyzing samples with several analytes. 

In the commercial process for the production of polypropylene by Ziegler-Natta catalysts, hydrogen is added to terminate the reaction, so neither of these reactions is pertinent to this process. 

Thermodynamically, the formation of methane is favored at low temperatures. The equilibrium constant is 10 at 300 K and is 10 ° at 1000 K (113). High temperatures and catalysts ate needed to achieve appreciable rates of carbon gasification, however. This reaction was studied in the range 820—1020 K, and it was found that nickel catalysts speed the reaction by three to four orders of magnitude (114). The Hterature for the carbon-hydrogen reaction has been surveyed (115). 

The composition of a reforming catalyst is dictated by the composition of the feedstock and the desired reformate. The catalysts used are principally platinum or platinum—rhenium on an alumina base. The purpose of platinum on the catalyst is to promote dehydrogenation and hydrogenation reactions. Nonplatinum catalysts are used in regenerative processes for feedstocks containing sulfur, although pretreatment (hydrodesulfurization) may permit platinum catalysts to be employed. 

Secondary and tertiary amines are preferentially produced when rhodium or palladium are chosen as catalyst. As in Method 3, reforming reactions do not normally compete with the hydrogenation reaction and high selectivities to the desired product are possible. 

High tempeiatuie and high piessuie reactions of MDA with hydrogen in the presence of noble metal catalysts convert 4,4 -MDA into bis(4-aminocyclohexyl)methane (H 2 DA) [1761-71-3] (C22H2gN2). The products ate a mixture of cis and trans isomers that can be controlled to some extent by the proper choice of catalyst and reaction conditions (6—12). 

In catalytic hydrogenation, a compound is reduced with molecular hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. This reaction has found appHcations in many areas of chemistry including the preparation of amines. Nitro, nitroso, hydroxylamino, azoxy, azo, and hydrazo compounds can all be reduced to amines by catalytic hydrogenation under the right conditions. Nitriles, amides, thioamides, and oximes can also be hydrogenated to give amines (1). Some examples of these reactions foUow ... 

The available surface area of the catalyst gready affects the rate of a hydrogenation reaction. The surface area is dependent on both the amount of catalyst used and the surface characteristics of the catalyst. Generally, a large surface area is desired to minimize the amount of catalyst needed. This can be accomphshed by using either a catalyst with a small particle size or one with a porous surface. Catalysts with a small particle size, however, can be difficult to recover from the material being reduced. Therefore, larger particle size catalyst with a porous surface is often preferred. A common example of such a catalyst is Raney nickel. 

The subject of catalyst selection for hydrogenation reactions has been summarized in several books (29,30). 

Michael-Type Additions. Michael additions are generally used to prepare methyl 3-mercaptopropionate (eq. 10) and mercaptopropionitrile (eq. 11) by the reaction of methyl acrylate or acrylonitrile and hydrogen sulfide using a basic catalyst. This reaction proceeds as shown ... 

Hydrogenation Reactions. Hydrogen over a nickel, platinum, or paladium catalyst can partially or totally saturate the aromatic ring. Thermal hyrogenolysis of toluene yields benzene, methane, and biphenyl. 

Butylenes can be catalyticaUy hydrogenated in the presence of Pt, Pd, or Ni in an exothermic reaction. In the absence of a catalyst, this reaction proceeds at a negligible rate, even at elevated temperatures. Heats of hydrogenation in kj /mol are as follows 1-butene, —126.8 isobutylene, —118.8 <7j -2-butene, —119.7 and trans-2-huX.en.e —115.5. 

The methanation reaction is currently used to remove the last traces (<1%) of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from hydrogen to prevent poisoning of catalysts employed for subsequent hydrogenation reactions. Processes for conversion of synthesis gas containing large quantities of carbon monoxide (up to 25%) into synthetic natural gas have been investigated to serve plants based on coal-suppHed synthesis gas. 

Reduction of Carboxylic Acids to Alcohols. In addition to the nonsupported catalysts mentioned for the hydrogenation of amides to amines, mthenium and rhenium on alumina can be used to reduce carboxyHc acids to alcohols. The conditions for this reduction are somewhat more severe than for most other hydrogenation reactions and require higher temperatures, >150° C, and pressures, >5 MPa (725 psi) (55). Various solvents can be used including water. 

The work of Thiele (1939) and Zeldovich (1939) called attention to the fact that reaction rates can be influenced by diffusion in the pores of particulate catalysts. For industrial, high-performance catalysts, where reaction rates are high, the pore diffusion limitation can reduce both productivity and selectivity. The latter problem emerges because 80% of the processes for the production of basic intermediates are oxidations and hydrogenations. In these processes the reactive intermediates are the valuable products, but because of their reactivity are subject to secondary degradations. In addition both oxidations and hydrogenation are exothermic processes and inside temperature gradients further complicate secondary processes inside the pores. 

The allophanate linkage is formed by the reaction of urethane with isocyanate, as shown in the fourth item of Fig. 1 [7], Isocyanates can react with many active hydrogen compounds. The active hydrogen of the urethane linkage is not very reactive, but if reaction temperatures get high enough (usually in excess of 100°C), or in the presence of certain allophanate catalysts, this reaction can actually become favored over the urethane reaction (see pp. 180-188 in [6]). 

The effect of physical processes on reactor performance is more complex than for two-phase systems because both gas-liquid and liquid-solid interphase transport effects may be coupled with the intrinsic rate. The most common types of three-phase reactors are the slurry and trickle-bed reactors. These have found wide applications in the petroleum industry. A slurry reactor is a multi-phase flow reactor in which the reactant gas is bubbled through a solution containing solid catalyst particles. The reactor may operate continuously as a steady flow system with respect to both gas and liquid phases. Alternatively, a fixed charge of liquid is initially added to the stirred vessel, and the gas is continuously added such that the reactor is batch with respect to the liquid phase. This method is used in some hydrogenation reactions such as hydrogenation of oils in a slurry of nickel catalyst particles. Figure 4-15 shows a slurry-type reactor used for polymerization of ethylene in a sluiTy of solid catalyst particles in a solvent of cyclohexane. 

Olefins are hydrogenated very easily, unless highly hindered, over a variety of catalysts. With active catalysts, the reaction is apt to be diffusion limited, since hydrogen can be consumed faster than it can be supplied to the catalyst surface. Most problems connected with olefin hydrogenation involve some aspect of regio- or stereoselectivity. Often the course of reduction is influenced greatly by the catalyst, by reaction variables, and by hydrogen availability at the catalyst surface. 

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