Mossbauer spectroscopy hydrodesulfurization catalysts

Mossbauer spectroscopy is one of the techniques that is relatively little used in catalysis. Nevertheless, it has yielded very useful information on a number of important catalysts, such as the iron catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch and ammonia synthesis, and the cobalt-molybdenum catalyst for hydrodesulfurization reactions. The technique is limited to those elements that exhibit the Mossbauer effect. Iron, tin, iridium, ruthenium, antimony, platinum and gold are the ones relevant for catalysis. Through the Mossbauer effect in iron, one can also obtain information on the state of cobalt. Mossbauer spectroscopy provides valuable information on oxidation states, magnetic fields, lattice symmetry and lattice vibrations. Several books on Mossbauer spectroscopy [1-3] and reviews on the application of the technique on catalysts [4—8] are available. 

Investigations of functioning catalysts with Mossbauer spectroscopy have been performed for a wide range of samples and applications. The reactions include hydrodesulfuration 15), the Fischer-Tropsch reaction (20,180), selective oxidation or oxidative dehydrogenation (181-186), and acetonitrile synthesis (187). 

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