Hydrochlorination of Acetylene Catalyzed by Copper-Phosphorous Complex

Abstract

Because of the toxicity of traditional mercury catalysts, more economical and efficient nonprecious metal catalysts have attracted considerable concern in acetylene hydrochlorination reaction. Here, a series of copper-based catalysts coordinated with P-containing ligands were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method. The 12.5Cu-2L_7/1/AC catalyst (2L = tris(3-methylpheny) phosphine) achieved the initial acetylene conversion of 87.13%, which was 47.68% higher than that of 12.5Cu/AC under the acetylene gas hourly space velocity of 180 h⁻¹. The characterization results displayed that the employment of tris(3-methylpheny) phosphine not only constructed highly dispersed and hypervalent Cu-P/Cu-O-P active species but also improved the adsorption capacity of the catalyst to reactants and the ability of anticoke deposition, thereby improving the catalytic activity and stability of Cu-based catalysts.