Cyclohexane hydrogenolysis

The chemical behavior of monolayer coverages of one metal on the surface of another, i.e., Cu/Ru, Ni/Ru, Ni/W, Fe/W, Pd/W, has recently been shown to be dramatically different from that seen for either of the metallic components separately. These chemical alterations, which modify the chemisorption and catalytic properties of the overlayers, have been correlated with changes in the structural and electronic properties of the bimetallic system. The films are found to grow in a manner which causes them to be strained with respect to their bulk lattice configuration. In addition, unique electronic interface states have been identified with these overlayers. These studies, which include the adsorption of CO and H2 on these overlayers as well as the measurement of the elevated pressure kinetics of the methanation, ethane hydrogenolysis, cyclohexane dehydrogenation reactions, are reviewed. 

The 1,3-carbon-carbon bond activation (also called y-H activation pathway) has the advantage in that it explains several observations (1) hexane undergoes hydrogenolysis on an Ir/Si02 catalyst at 200 °C (H2/hexane = 50/1), while no hydrogenolysis of ethane is observed up to 270 °C under similar conditions and (2) the hydrogenolysis of hexane and cyclohexane have common features (vide infra) [168]. 

Table 8 Distribution of Ci or -hexane over Ir/SiOz- to C5 primary products in the hydrogenolysis of cyclohexane -Temp = 200 °C, Hz/Alkane ratio = 50 ...

Secondly, this mechanism (1,3-carbon-carbon bond activation) applies to both acyclic and cychc paraffins such as hexane and cyclohexane (Scheme 40 and Table 8). Kinetic studies on the hydrogenolysis of these alkanes are note-... 

As a case study, the hydrogenolysis of alkanes over Ir/Si02 will be studied in detail, and the product selectivities at zero contact time for the hydrogenolysis of hexane and cyclohexane are shown in Table 8. 

From these data, some key information can be drawn in both cases, the couple methane/pentane as well as the couple ethane/butane have similar selectivities. This implies that each couple of products (ethane/butane and methane/pentane) is probably formed via a common intermediate, which is probably related to the hexyl surface intermediate D, which is formed as follows cyclohexane reacts first with the surface via C - H activation to produce a cyclohexyl intermediate A, which then undergoes a second C - H bond activation at the /-position to give the key 1,3-dimetallacyclopentane intermediate B. Concerted electron transfer (a 2+2 retrocychzation) leads to a non-cychc -alkenylidene metal surface complex, C, which under H2 can evolve towards a surface hexyl intermediate D. Then, the surface hexyl species D can lead to all the observed products via the following elementary steps (1) hydrogenolysis into hexane (2) /1-hydride elimination to form 1-hexene, followed by re-insertion to form various hexyl complexes (E and F) or (3) a second carbon-carbon bond cleavage, through a y-C - H bond activation to the metallacyclic intermediate G or H (Scheme 40). Under H2, intermediate G can lead either to pentane/methane or ethane/butane mixtures, while intermediate H would form ethane/butane or propane. 

Fig. 6. Activities of copper-nickel alloy catalysts for the hydrogenolysis of ethane to methane and the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane to benzene. The activities refer to reaction rates at 316° C. Ethane hydrogenolysis activities were obtained at ethane and hydrogen pressures of 0.030 and 0.20 atm., respectively. Cyclohexane dehydrogenation activities were obtained at cyclohexane and hydrogen pressures of 0.17 and 0.83 atm, respectively (74).

Commercial catalysts consist essentially of Ni snpported on a-alumina. Mg-promoted catalysts showed a greater difficulty for Ni precursor s reduction besides different probe molecules (H and CO) adsorbed states. In the conversion of cyclohexane, Mg inhibited the formation of hydrogenolysis products. Nonetheless, the presence of Ca did not influence the metallic phase. The impregnated Ni/MgO-catalyst performed better than the other types (Santos et al., 2004). 

Among the electron-rich alkenes, vinylsulfides are especially amenable to cation-radical reduction an important feature is the absence of hydrogenolysis of carbon-sulfur bonds. The reduction of [(phenylthio)methylene]cyclohexane is efficient (88%), and the retention of the phenylthio group clearly contrasts with catalytic hydrogenation (Mirafzal et al. 1993). This provides versatile functionality for further synthetic operations. 

Tantalum hydride(s) also catalyzes the hydrogenolysis of cyclic alkanes (substituted or not) but the reachvity order decreases with the cycle size as cycloheptane > methylcyclohexane > cyclohexane > methylcyclopentane > cyclopentane for the latter no reaction is actually observed (Figure 3.8). Activity decreases with hme and becomes low after 20 h. 

Figure 3.8 Conversion with time in the hydrogenolysis of cycloalkanes (19Torr, 14.5 equiv.) catalyzed by (=SiO)2TaH (3) at 160°C under hydrogen (470Torr) cycloheptane ( ), methylcyclohexane ( ), cyclohexane ( ), methylcyclopentane (A) and cyclopentane (x).

In bimetallic catalysts, Cu-Ru is an important system. Combinations of the Group Ib metal (Cu) and Group VIII metal (Ru)-based catalysts are, for example, used for the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane to aromatic compounds and in ethane hydrogenolysis involving the rupture of C-C bonds and the formation of C-H bonds (Sinfelt 1985). Here we elucidate the structural characteristics of supported model Cu-Ru systems by EM methods, including in situ ETEM. 

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