Dehydrogenation to Alkenes

Longer life and better activity were obtained with catalysts composed of chro-mia and alumina.151 While pure alumina has little dehydrogenation activity, the incorporation of as little as 3% or as much as 60% chromia provides effective catalysts the most widely used commercial catalyst usually contains 20% chromia. Chromia-alumina is used in the dehydrogenation of C2—C4 hydrocarbons to the corresponding alkenes.152-154 1,3-Butadiene may also be manufactured under appropriate conditions (see Section 2.3.3). 

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The reversal of hydrogenation is also possible, as evidenced by the many iridium catalysts for alkane dehydrogenation to alkenes or arenes, though to date this area is of mainly academic interest rather than practical importance [19]. 

Substrates which can undergo partial oxidation are characterized by a 7T-electron system or unshared electrons olefins and aromatics contain the first, methanol, ammonia and sulphur dioxide the second. Alkanes do not contain such electrons. Their selective oxidation appears to demand (thermal or catalytic) dehydrogenation to alkenes as the initial process. 

This section contains dehydrogenations to form alkenes and unsaturated ketones, esters and amides. It also includes the conversion of aromatic rings to alkenes. Reduction of aryls to dienes is found in Section 377 (Alkene-Alkene). Hydrogenation of aryls to alkanes and dehydrogenations to form aryls are included in Section 74 (Alkyls from Alkenes). 

Oxoreductases include enzymes such as dehydrogenases, oxidases and peroxidases which catalyse transformations such as oxidation of alcohols to carbonyls and dehydrogenation of functionalized alkanes to alkenes. 

The pros and cons of oxidative dehydrogenation for alkene synthesis using doped cerianites as solid oxygen carriers are studied. The hydrogen oxidation properties of a set of ten doped cerianite catalysts (Ce0.9X0.1Oy, where X = Bi, In, La, Mo, Pb, Sn, V, W, Y, and Zr) are examined under cyclic redox conditions. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, adsorption measurements, and temperature programmed reduction are used to try and clarify structure-activity relationships and the different dopant effects. 

Effective catalysts for heterogeneous oxidations using 02 are mainly Pt and Pd with some activity by Ir70 and Ru.71 Much work has gone into alcohol oxidations that are dehydrogenations to ketones or aldehydes. Also, oxygen may be inserted at allylic positions of alkenes and these may be dehydrogenated to ketones or aldehydes.72 In the case of aldehydes, additional oxidation may be accomplished to produce acids.72,73... 

In heterogeneous metal catalysis alkanes, alkenes, and aromatics adsorbed on the metal surface rapidly exchange hydrogen and deuterium. The multiple adsorption of reactants and intermediates lowers the barriers for such exchange processes. Hydrogenation of unsaturated aliphatics and isomerisation can be accomplished under mild conditions. Catalytic dehydrogenation of alkanes to alkenes requires temperatures >200 °C, but this is because of the thermodynamics of this reaction. 

Hydrogenation dehydrogenation reactions. The end products of the F-T process are a mixture of higher alkanes and alkenes. The promoter elements could show under F-T conditions some activities for hydrogenation or dehydrogenation reactions leading to a shift in the relative ratio of alkanes to alkenes. 

Desaturation of alkyl groups. This novel reaction, which converts a saturated alkyl compound into a substituted alkene and is catalyzed by cytochromes P-450, has been described for the antiepileptic drug, valproic acid (VPA) (2-n-propyl-4-pentanoic acid) (Fig. 4.29). The mechanism proposed involves formation of a carbon-centered free radical, which may form either a hydroxy la ted product (alcohol) or dehydrogenate to the unsaturated compound. The cytochrome P-450-mediated metabolism yields 4-ene-VPA (2-n-propyl-4pentenoic acid), which is oxidized by the mitochondrial p-oxidation enzymes to 2,4-diene-VPA (2-n-propyl-2, 4-pentadienoic acid). This metabolite or its Co A ester irreversibly inhibits enzymes of the p-oxidation system, destroys cytochrome P-450, and may be involved in the hepatotoxicity of the drug. Further metabolism may occur to give 3-keto-4-ene-VPA (2-n-propyl-3-oxo-4-pentenoic acid), which inhibits the enzyme 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, the terminal enzyme of the fatty acid oxidation system. 

Additional evidence to this scheme was reported applying temporal analysis of products. This technique allows the direct determination of the reaction mechanism over each catalyst. Aromatization of n-hexane was studied on Pt, Pt—Re, and Pd catalysts on various nonacidic supports, and a monofunctional aromatization pathway was established.312 Specifically, linear hydrocarbons undergo rapid dehydrogenation to unsaturated species, that is, alkenes and dienes, which is then followed by a slow 1,6-cyclization step. Cyclohexane was excluded as possible intermediate in the dehydrocyclization network. 

Early studies with respect to the dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons to alkenes on oxide catalysts indicated that carbonaceous deposits formed in the early stages of the process on the surface of acidic catalysts act as the real active centers for the oxidative dehydrogenation. The hypothesis was later confirmed377 378 and verified by using carbon molecular sieves. With this catalyst 90% styrene selectivity could be obtained at 80% ethylbenzene conversion.379 Various coals for the synthesis of isobutylene380 and activated carbon in the synthesis of styrene381 were used in further studies. 

In spite of significant fundamental studies and its significant economic potential as an alternate route to alkenes, the oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes to alkenes is not currently practiced.383 The main reason is that the secondary oxidation of the primary alkene products limits severely alkene yields, which becomes more significant with increasing conversion. This is due mainly to the higher energies of the C—H bonds in the reactant alkanes compared to those of the product alkenes. This leads to the rapid combustion of alkenes, that is, the formation of carbon oxides, at the temperatures required for C—H bond activation in alkanes. 

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