Nitrous oxide, decomposition metals

Copper metal surface area was determined by nitrous oxide decomposition. A sample of catalyst (0.2 g) was reduced by heating to 563 K under a flow of 10 % H2/N2 (50 cm min"1) at a heating rate of 3 deg.min 1. The catalyst was then held at this temperature for 1 h before the gas flow was switched to helium. After 0.5 h the catalyst was cooled in to 333 K and a flow of 5 %N20/He (50 cm3mirr ) passed over the sample for 0.25 h to surface oxidise the copper. At the end of this period the flow was switched to 10 % H2/N2 (50 entitlin 1) and the sample heated at a heating rate of 3 deg.min"1. The hydrogen up-take was quantified, from this a... 

The decomposition of nitrous oxide over various metal oxides has been widely investigated by many investigators (1-3). Dell, Stone and Tiley (4) have compared the reactivity of metal oxides and shown that in general p-type oxides were the best catalysts and n-type the worst, with insulators occupying an intermediate position. It has been generally accepted (5) that this correlation indicates that the electronic structure of the catalyst is an important factor in the mechanism of the decomposition of nitrous oxide over metal oxides catalysts. The reaction is usually written (4) as... 

Halothane produces rapid onset and recovery from anesthesia with high potency when used alone or in combination with nitrous oxide. Most metals, with the exception of chromium, nickel, and titanium, are easily tarnished by halothane. Although halothane is relatively stable, it is subject to spontaneous oxidative decomposition to hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, and phosgene. For this reason, it is available in dark, amber glass containers with thymol added as a preservative to minimize decomposition. Halothane may permeate into the rubber components of the anesthetic delivery devices, which might account for some slowing of the induction onset and recovery. Approximately 20% of an administered dose is metabolized, which accounts, in part, for the increased hepatotoxicity observed with this agent (Fig. 18.7). 

Nitrosyidisulfonic acid, reaction mechanisms, 22 129, 130 Nitrous acid, 33 103 decomposition, rate constants, 22 157 as oxidizing agent, 22 133 reaction mechanisms, 22 143-156 electrophilic nitrosations, 22 144-152 with inorganic species, 22 148, 149 nitrite oxidation by metals, 22 152-154 oxidation by halogens, 22 154, 155 in solution, 22 143, 144 reduction by metals, 22 155, 156 Nitrous oxide reductase, 40 368 Nitroxyl, reaction mechanisms, 22 138 Nitrozation, pentaamminecobalt(III) complexes, 34 181... 

Schwab and co-workers (5-7) found a parallel between the electron concentration of different phases of certain alloys and the activation energies observed for the decomposition of formic acid into H2 and CO2, with these alloys as catalysts. Suhrmann and Sachtler (8,9,58) found a relation between the work function of gold and platinum and the energy of activation necessary for the decomposition of nitrous oxide on these metals. C. Wagner (10) found a relation between the electrical conductivity of semiconducting oxide catalysts and their activity in the decomposition of N2O. 

In the metal-catalyzed decomposition of nitrous oxide—corresponding to this conception—not the liberated 0 atom [C. Wagner (10)], but the N2O molecule receives electrons on adsorption (8,9,58). As the metal surface thereby loses electrons, it is to be expected that an increase of the work function will occur upon adsorption of N2O molecules, e.g., on platinum, even at such low temperatures that the thermal decomposition of N2O does not occur. 

According to this work the catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide molecules proceeds in the following way a N2O molecule adsorbed by the catalyst binds metal electrons, and thus the bond between the 0 atom and N2 in the molecule is loosened, and N2 is thermally dissociated from O at sufficiently high temperature. The 0 atom is held to the surface through the influence of the metal electrons. It can combine with a neighboring... 

Some dense inorganic membranes made of metals and metal oxides are oxygen specific. Notable ones include silver, zirconia stabilized by yttria or calcia, lead oxide, perovskite-type oxides and some mixed oxides such as yttria stabilized titania-zirconia. Their usage as a membrane reactor is profiled in Table 8.4 for a number of reactions decomposition of carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide and oxygen, oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen and nitrous oxide, oxidation of methane to syngas and oxidative coupling of methane to form C2 hydrocarbons, and oxidation of other hydrocarbons such as ethylene, methanol, ethanol, propylene and butene. 

The various processes for the catalytic reaction are similar. The factor that makes the difference is the choice of catalyst, which in turn affects the temperature regime needed to trigger the decomposition of nitrous oxide. In the literature, numerous works illustrate the several classes of catalysts appropriate for this reaction [9a, k] noble metals (Pt, Au), pure or mixed metal oxides (spinels, perovskite-types, oxides from hydrotalcites), supported systems (metal or metal oxides on alumina, silica, zirconia) and zeolites. 

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