The Catalytic Hydrogenation of Carbon Monoxide. The Formation of C1 Hydrocarbons

Both the production of methane and methanol from CO and H₂ are important processes in chemical technology. They also have a distinguished history as the formation of methane was first reported by Sabatier and Senderens 1] in 1902. Methanol synthesis from CO and H₂ was first reported by Patart 2] in 1921, and in 1923 Badische Anilin and Soda Fabrik (BASF) announced the synthesis of CH₃OH to the exclusion of other products 3]. The catalytic reactions that produced these two molecules, however, have been subjected to molecular scale studies only recently. We shall review here what is known about the kinetics and mechanisms of these reactions, about the catalytically active surface, and the nature of the surface chemical bond of CO, H₂, and the reaction intermediates.