Methanol surface reaction mechanism

Surface Reaction Mechanism of Methanol Adsorption-Reaction on Oxide Surfaces... 

Because the synthesis reactions are exothermic with a net decrease in molar volume, equiUbrium conversions of the carbon oxides to methanol by reactions 1 and 2 are favored by high pressure and low temperature, as shown for the indicated reformed natural gas composition in Figure 1. The mechanism of methanol synthesis on the copper—zinc—alumina catalyst was elucidated as recentiy as 1990 (7). For a pure H2—CO mixture, carbon monoxide is adsorbed on the copper surface where it is hydrogenated to methanol. When CO2 is added to the reacting mixture, the copper surface becomes partially covered by adsorbed oxygen by the reaction C02 CO + O (ads). This results in a change in mechanism where CO reacts with the adsorbed oxygen to form CO2, which becomes the primary source of carbon for methanol. 

The Holy Grail of catalysis has been to identify what Taylor described as the active site that is, that ensemble of atoms which is responsible for the surface reactions involved in catalytic turnover. With the advent of atomically resolving techniques such as scanning tunnelling microscopy it is now possible to identify reaction centres on planar surfaces. This gives a greater insight also into reaction kinetics and mechanisms in catalysis. In this paper two examples of such work are described, namely CO oxidation on a Rh(llO) crystal and methanol selective oxidation to formaldehyde on Cu(llO). 

The presence of solution at a metal surface, as has been discussed, can significantly influence the pathways and energetics of a variety of catalytic reactions, especially electrocatalytic reactions that have the additional complexity of electrode potential. We describe here how the presence of a solution and an electrochemical potential influence the reaction pathways and the reaction mechanism for methanol dehydrogenation over ideal single-crystal surfaces. 

Based on in situ 13C NMR data, surface methoxy groups are reported to form hydrocarbons at temperatures of 523 K and above [273]. The authors have suggested that these hydrocarbons may contribute to the hydrocarbon pool that is established to participate in the catalytic reaction mechanism to form higher hydrocarbons from methanol. Other reactions with amines or halides have also been published [276]. 

Figure 8.3 Proposed reaction mechanism for methanol synthesis on Pd and comparison with gas-phase mechanism surface intermediates are speculative and associated energies are estimates...

This may be explained by the bifunctional theory of electrocatalysis developed by Watanabe and Motoo [14], according to which Pt activates the dissociative chemisorption of methanol to CO, whereas Ru activates and dissociates water molecules, leading to adsorbed hydroxyl species, OH. A surface oxidation reaction between adsorbed CO and adsorbed OH becomes the rate-determining step. The reaction mechanism can be written as follows [15] ... 

These interrelations are consistent with the above model of high temperature deactivation by coke formation through a reaction of coke growth with methanol. However, this mechanism needs coke seeds provided as "olefin coke" on external acidic centers. Development of ZSM5-catalysts for high temperature application with long life time thus concerns minimizing of acid sites on crystallite surfaces. 

Rate determining step (cont.) electrocatalysis and, 1276 methanol oxidation, 1270 in multistep reactions, 1180 overpotential and, 1175 places where it can occur, 1260 pseudo-equilibrium, 1260 quasi equilibrium and, 1176 reaction mechanism and, 1260 steady state and, 1176 surface chemical reactions and, 1261 Real impedance, 1128, 1135 Reciprocal relation, the, 1250 Recombination reaction, 1168 Receiver states, 1494 Reddy, 1163... 

The conversion of methanol to hydrocarbons (MTHC) on acidic zeolites is of industrial interest for the production of gasoline or light olefins (see also Section X). Upon adsorption and conversion of methanol on calcined zeolites in the H-form, various adsorbate complexes are formed on the catalyst surface. Identification of these surface complexes significantly improves the understanding of the reaction mechanism. As demonstrated in Table 3, methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), and methoxy groups influence in a characteristic manner the quadrupole parameters of the framework Al atoms in the local structure of bridging OH groups. NMR spectroscopy of these framework atoms under reaction conditions, therefore, helps to identify the nature of surface complexes formed. 

Reactions 1. 2, and 3 represent surface sorption of methanol, G, on surface sites, S. These reactions are in rapidly established equilibrium. Reactions of type 4a, 4b, and 4c are the slow, rate-determining steps of the sorption of methanol on internal sites, D. The generalized Reaction 5 is the reverse of reactions of type 4 and accounts for the reversibility of the methanol sorption. Reaction 6 is a rapidly established equilibrium whose inclusion in the postulated mechanism is necessary because of the isotherm prediction of one molecule of methanol per site at equilibrium. 

This section reports a series of examples of application of the cluster model approach to problems in chemisorption and catalysis. The first examples concern rather simple surface science systems such as the interaction of CO on metallic and bimetallic surfaces. The mechanism of H2 dissociation on bimetallic PdCu catalysts is discussed to illustrate the cluster model approach to a simple catalytic system. Next, we show how the cluster model can be used to gain insight into the understanding of promotion in catalysis using the activation of CO2 promoted by alkali metals as a key example. The oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde and the catalytic coupling of prop)me to benzene on copper surfaces constitute examples of more complex catalytic reactions. 

Methyl chloride is an important industrial product, having a global annual capacity of ca. 900 000 tons. Its primary use is for the manufacture of more highly chlorinated materials such as dichloromethane and chloroform and for the production of silicone fluids and elastomers. It is usually manufactured by the reaction of methanol with hydrogen chloride with a suitable acid catalyst, such as alumina. To develop a site-specific reaction mechanism and a kinetics model for the overall process, one first needs to identify all the reagents present at the catalyst surface and the nature of their interactions with the surface. The first step in the reaction is dissociative adsorption of methanol to give adsorbed methoxy species. Diffuse reflectance IR spectroscopy (29d) showed the expected methoxy C-H stretch and deformations, but an additional feature, with some substructure, at 2600 cm was... 

Identification of the active sites of the MgO surface is of crucial importance for the understanding of the reaction mechanisms and the properties of MgO(lll) nanosheets. Methanol is a smart molecular probe that can provide fundamental information about the number and nature of active surface sites [238]. Methanol... 

Methanol decomposes on titanium dioxide surfaces by mechanisms that are similar to those by which formic acid decomposes. Methanol can reversibly adsorb on single crystal surfaces of titania (reaction 16) in a molecular state, or it may dissociatively adsorb by interaction with surface lattice oxygen anions, forming a surface methoxide (reaction 17). Reaction (18) represents the disproportionation reaction of hydroxyl groups on the surface of the metal oxide. 

Fig. 15.12 Methanol oxidation on Pd-Al O (mean particle size 6 nm) and Pd(lll) [27, 50, 75]. (a) In situ steady-state PM-IRAS and SFG spectra, shown together with the CHjOH conversion as monitored by gas chromatography, (b) Comparison of Pd3d XP spectra obtained before upper) and after (lower) the methanol oxidation reaction indicated a partial oxidation of Pd nanoparticles during the reaction, whereas Pd(lll) remained metalhc adapted in part from [75] with permission. Copyright (2007) The PCCP Owner Societies, (c) PM-IRAS (p-s) surface vibrational spectra measured during CH OH decomposition on Pd(lll) at 300 K, with the various species indicated. The time-dependent evolution of CH O (as observed by PM-IRAS) and of CH (values deduced from XPS) upon methanol decomposition at -lO mbar suggests a correlation between the two species adapted in part from [27] with permission. Copyright (2005) American Chemical Society, (d) Suggested mechanism of CH OH decomposition and oxidation on Pd catalysts reprinted [50] with permission. Copyright (2007) Elsevier...

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