Adsorption and reactivity during low temperature oxidation of carbon monoxide on Au/TiO2 catalysts studied by rapid response mass spectrometry

The adsorption and reaction of CO, CO₂ and O₂ on TiO₂ and Au/TiO₂ have been studied using a mass spectrometric method which can detect processes occurring on a time scale of seconds. Adsorption of CO on TiO₂ at 300 K is rapidly reversible and less on reduced samples than oxidised ones indicating that the adsorption sites are oxide ions. The amount adsorbed reversibly on reduced Au/TiO₂ is less still, consistent with enhanced reduction, but additional amounts adsorb irreversibly at a slower rate. The amount of CO₂ adsorbed under similar conditions is also greater on TiO₂ than reduced Au/TiO₂ and approximately one order of magnitude greater than that of CO. However, adsorption of O₂ is undetectable on the time scale of the measurement. Exposure of Au/TiO₂ to mixtures of CO and O₂ results in near instantaneous generation of CO₂ although its appearance is attenuated by adsorption. Adsorption of CO occurs concurrently in a way similar to that seen with CO alone except that the amount of the more slowly adsorbed form seems less. This suggests that it is the form utilised in catalysis. Oxygen uptake beyond that generating CO₂ is appreciable during the initial stages of exposure to reaction mixtures and this capacity is enhanced if one or other reactant is removed and then reintroduced, possibly due to the generation of reducible interface sites. It is concluded that the remarkable activity of Au/TiO₂ for CO oxidation at ambient temperature resides in a very high turnover frequency on sites at the interface between the metal and oxide. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The partial oxidation of norbornene over a silver catalyst under steady state conditions

The continuous oxidation of norbornene (C₇H₁₀) by molecular oxygen over a silver catalyst at 500–573 K has been investigated. In contrast to that observed during the temperature programmed reaction of norbornene and oxygen adsorbed on Ag(110) no norbornene epoxide is formed. Instead benzene is the sole partial oxidation product. A stable selectivity of 20 to 25% with fractional conversions up to 0.8 at 573 K could be obtained by inclusion of 15 to 30 ppm dichloroethane in the feed. Separate experiments withexo-norbornene epoxide showed that in the absence of oxygen it was almost completely isomerised to 3-cyclohexene-1-carboxyaldehyde with production of lesser amounts of norcamphor and norbornene. With oxygen present carbon dioxide and small amounts of benzene were also produced. It is concluded that norbornene epoxide cannot be a gas phase intermediate in the production of benzene from norbornene.     

The partial oxidation of some cyclohexenes and branched chain olefins over a silver catalyst

The oxidation of some cyclic and branched chain olefins over a silver catalyst effective for the conversion of ethylene to ethylene oxide has been investigated in a steady state flow system. The reaction of cyclohexene produces benzene and that of both 1-methylcyclohexene and 4-methylcyclohexene yields toluene. The selectivity to aromatics exceeds 20% for fractional conversions below 0.2, but it can be improved to almost 50% by inclusion of an optimum quantity of dichloroethane in the feed. Styrene is oxidised more slowly than the cyclohexenes and only carbon dioxide and water are produced. The oxidation of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene and 3-methyl-1-butene occurs much faster than that of the cyclic molecules and some of the corresponding epoxides are produced. The selectivity with the dimethyl-butene is 9–13% for conversions to 0.2. The methylbutene requires a higher temperature for reaction and the epoxide yield is lower. Factors influencing reactivity and product distribution are discussed.