Mechanism of CO formation in reverse water–gas shift reaction over Cu/Al2O3 catalyst

The mechanism of the reverse water–gas shift reaction over a Cu catalyst was studied by CO₂ hydrogenation, temperature-programmed reduction of the Cu catalyst and pulse reaction with QMS monitoring. In comparison with the reaction of CO₂ alone, hydrogen can significantly promote the CO formation in the RWGS reaction. The formate derived from association of H₂ and CO₂ is proposed to be the key intermediate for CO production. Formate dissociation mechanism is the major reaction route for CO production. Cu(I) species were formed from the oxidation of Cu⁰ associated with CO₂ dissociation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.