Synthesis of Gaseous Hydrocarbons from Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen over Transition Metal Catalysts (Part 1)

reaction product on all these catalysts. Some of the catalysts, however, exhibited considerably high selectivity for production of C2 or higher gaseous hydrocarbons. The following sequence of selectivity for C2 hydrocarbons was obtained: Fe>Pd>Rh>Ru>Pt>Co>Ni. Among the catalysts tested, the graphite-supported Rh catalyst showed the highest rate of production of C2 hydrocarbons. In the whole range of conversions, the graphite-supported Rh catalyst produced C2 hydrocarbons more selectively than the alumina-supported or charcoal-supported catalysts. This difference was considered due to the strong metal-support interaction in the graphite-supported catalyst that involved electron transfer between rhodium and graphite. Among the various pretreatments rendered using different gases, pretreatment in air enhanced most the activity of the graphite-supported Rh catalyst.