Interaction of hydrogen and carbon monoxide on cobalt catalysts. Part I

Abstract

This paper reports studies on the adsorption of hydrogen and carbon monoxide as well as of mixtures of them in the ratio 1 CO: 1 H2 and 1 CO:2 H2 in the temperature range 0-100°C on a cobalt-thoria-kieselguhr catalyst. These studies reveal mutual enhancement of adsorption at higher temperatures. The analysis of the adsorbed phase suggests the formation of a -C(H)OH complex on the surface. Kinetics of the interaction of hydrogen with chemisorbed CO and the CO-H2 complex have also been studied at different temperatures. The activation energies of these processes have been evaluated and found to be too low for either of them to figure as rate determining in hydrocarbon synthesis.