Hexane dehydrogenation

Bifunctional catalytic reactions involve a series of catalytic steps over acidic and hydrogenating-dehydrogenating sites with formation of intermediate compounds. Thus n-hexane (hydro)isomerization involves successively n-hexane dehydrogenation in n-hexenes (metal catalyzed), skeletal isomerization of n-hexenes into isohexenes over protonic acid sites followed by the (metal catalyzed) hydrogenation of isohexenes into isohexanes (Figure 1.4). 

Equilibrium of ammonia synthesis (3.7.5), hexane dehydrogenation (3.7.6), and formation of alcohol from ethylene (3.7.7). 

When TPSR was used to study the mechanism of dehydrogenation reaction of n-hexane on Pt/Al203 catalyst, the results showed that the reaction for n-hexane dehydrogenation cyclizating formation benzene may have different courses. 

Trevor D J, Whetten R L, Cox D M and Kaldor A 1985 Gas-phase platinum cluster reactions with benzene and several hexanes evidence of extensive dehydrogenation and size-dependent chemisorption J. Am. Chem. Soc. 107 518... 

The second aromatization reaction is the dehydrocyclization of paraffins to aromatics. For example, if n-hexane represents this reaction, the first step would be to dehydrogenate the hexane molecule over the platinum surface, giving 1-hexene (2- or 3-hexenes are also possible isomers, but cyclization to a cyclohexane ring may occur through a different mechanism). Cyclohexane then dehydrogenates to benzene. 

This is also an endothermic reaction, and the equilibrium production of aromatics is favored at higher temperatures and lower pressures. However, the relative rate of this reaction is much lower than the dehydrogenation of cyclohexanes. Table 3-6 shows the effect of temperature on the selectivity to benzene when reforming n-hexane using a platinum catalyst. 

Of some relevance in this connection is a study216 on the structure of the anion radicals formed when diaryl sulphones react with n-butyllithium in hexane-HMPA solution under an argon atmosphere. Apparently, a dehydrogenative cyclization and a further one-electron reduction occurs to produce the anion radicals of substituted dibenzothiophene-S, S-dioxides. These anion radicals were studied by ESR spectroscopy. 

Even though cyclohexane is rapidly converted into benzene under these conditions, the results in Figure 3 clearly prove that it cannot be a gas phase intermediate in the n-hexane reaction. If it were, there would have been radioactivity in the unreacted cyclohexane when it was mixed with labeled n-hexane none was observed. This proves that the cyclization step must be further along the reaction stream and must not involve an olefin forming cyclohexane which then dehydrogenates to the aromatics. 

The disilanickela complex 21 was also found to be a good catalyst for the dehydrogenative double silylation of aldehydes. The nickel-catalyzed reactions of 1,2-bis(dimethylsilyl)carborane 11 with aldehydes such as isobutyraldehyde, trimethylacetaldehyde, hexanal, and benzaldehyde afforded 5,6-carboranylene-2-oxa-l,4-disilacyclohexane.32 34 36 The dehydrogenative 1,4-double silylation of methacrolein and tram-4-phenyl-3-buten-2-one in the presence of a catalytic amount ofNi(PEt3)4 also took place under similar conditions. In contrast, the reaction of 11 with a-methyl-tran.s-cinnamaldehyde and irans-cinnamaldehyde under... 

Other Cg hydrocarbons. The dehydrogenation of normal hexane and 2,3-di methyl butane also proceeds but not as voraciously on small platinum clusters. Figure 8 is a plot of the hydrogen content in the first adduct as a function of the size of the platinum metal cluster. The metal atom reacts via dihydrogen elimination to produce PtC6Hi2 products. The platinum trimer is now the smallest cluster that will produce a C H near one. The similarity of size dependent dehydrogenation of the normal hexane and the branched molecule suggest that these systems may not readily aromatize these alkanes. Further structural studies are needed to identify the reaction products. 

Several 4-(3-alkyl-2-isoxazolin-5-yl)phenol derivatives that possess liquid crystal properties have also been obtained (533-535). In particular, target compounds such as 463 (R = pentyl, nonyl) have been prepared by the reaction of 4-acetoxystyrene with the nitrile oxide derived from hexanal oxime, followed by alkaline hydrolysis of the acetate and esterification (535). A homologous series of 3-[4-alkyloxyphenyl]-5-[3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl]-2-isoxazolines, having chiral properties has been synthesized by the reaction of nitrile oxides, from the dehydrogenation of 4-alkyloxybenzaldoximes. These compounds exhibit cholesteric phase or chiral nematic phase (N ), smectic A (S4), and chiral smectic phases (Sc ), some at or just above room temperature (536). 

Dehydrocyclization, 30 35-43, 31 23 see also Cyclization acyclic alkanes, 30 3 7C-adsorbed olefins, 30 35-36, 38-39 of alkylaromatics, see specific compounds alkyl-substituted benzenes, 30 65 carbene-alkyl insertion mechanism, 30 37 carbon complexes, 32 179-182 catalytic, 26 384 C—C bond formation, 30 210 Q mechanism, 29 279-283 comparison of rates, 28 300-306 dehydrogenation, 30 35-36 of hexanes over platintim films, 23 43-46 hydrogenolysis and, 23 103 -hydrogenolysis mechanism, 25 150-158 iridium supported catalyst, 30 42 mechanisms, 30 38-39, 42-43 metal-catalyzed, 28 293-319 n-hexane, 29 284, 286 palladium, 30 36 pathways, 30 40 platinum, 30 40 rate, 30 36-37, 39... 

Bursian et al. (66a) suggested metallic platinum sites for dehydrogenation and Pt " sites for ring closure. They studied the effect of several elements added to platinum-on-silica catalyst on the aromatizing activity of n-hexane. Benzene yield increased parallel to the amount of soluble platinum (66b) at the same time, the crystallinity of platinum decreased in the presence of additives promoting aromatization. These are elements (e.g., Ce, Sc, Zr) which do not form an intermetallic compound with platinum (66c). 

The dehydrogenative route is probably identical with the alkene-alkyl insertion mechanism (I5a) (Scheme IVA) rather than with the dicarbyne cyclization (85a). The latter was based on the unreactivity of -hexane in C5 cyclic reactions over iridium (4Ia). 

Cyclohexane dehydrogenates rather rapidly to benzene. Its rearrangement has not been reported over pure metals until now. Cg Ring opening is negligible over platinum and palladium 48, 5i) slight hexane formation was reported over carbon supported rhodium, iridium, and, especially, osmium and ruthenium (702), as well as over nickel on alumina (99). 

Using I-H2 or 4a-H2 as the transfer-dehydrogenation catalysts, 1.25 and 2.05 M total product concentrations, respectively, were obtained from 7.6 M -hexane after 1 day at 125°C. In accord with the proposal illustrated in Scheme 2, exclusively linear -alkanes were formed (in contrast with the Basset systems). But in contrast with the idealized cycle depicted in Scheme 2, the mixtures were not restricted to C2n-2 alkane and ethane as products. 

The iridium(l) PCP pincer complexes 1 exhibit remarkable activity in the catalytic dehydrogenation of unfunctionalized alkanes (Scheme 12.1). The H2, which is formally produced during this process, may be transferred to either tert-butyleth-ylene (TBE) or norbomene (NBE) as a sacrificial hydrogen acceptor. For example, complex la converts cyclooctane (COA) to cyclooctene (COE) in the presence of TBE, which in turn is reduced to tert-butylethane (TBA ueo-hexane) [6]. 

Fig. 1. Reaction composition profile. Reforming at 794 K, 2620 kPa. Zone A dehydrogenation zone zone B isomerization zone zone C hydrogenation and cracking zone. [Charge stock A, hexane (HEX) , benzene (BENZ) V, cyclohexane (CH) O, methylcyclopentane (MCP).]...

Benzene, naphthalene, toluene, and the xylenes are naturally occurring compounds obtained from coal tar. Industrial synthetic methods, called catalytic reforming, utilize alkanes and cycloalkanes isolated from petroleum. Thus, cyclohexane is dehydrogenated (aromatization), and n-hexane(cycli> zation) and methylcyclopentane(isomerization) are converted to benzene. Aromatization is the reverse of catalytic hydrogenation and, in the laboratory, the same catalysts—Pt, Pd, and Ni—can be used. The stability of the aromatic ring favors dehydrogenation. 

Alkanes appear to react with platinum(IV) in an identical manner to benzene (34, 84) chloromethane and chloroethane can be detected as the reaction products from methane and ethane, respectively. When propane, butane, or hexane is the reactant, the terminal chloro isomers predominate over the internal isomers. This was interpreted to mean that primary C—H bonds are the most reactive (34), but a more detailed study has shown that this conclusion does not necessarily follow from the experimental results (84). When cyclohexane is the reactant, dehydrogenation (or chlorination and then dehydrohalogenation) occurs to give benzene as one of the reaction products (29, 34, 84). 

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