Mechanistic study of carbon monoxide hydrogenation over ruthenium catalysts

Abstract

The mechanism of the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to hydrocarbon products over ruthenium catalysts has been investigated. By measuring the adsorption and observing the infrared adsorption spectra of the adsorbed species during the course of the reaction, the accumulation of surface hydrocarbon species on the ruthenium catalysts was confirmed, whereas most of the surface was covered by molecularly adsorbed carbon monoxide. The reaction intermediate was examined using carbon-13. The reactivity of deposited carbon formed by the Boudouard reaction has also been studied using carbon-13. It is concluded from the behaviour of the surface species under the reaction conditions that all the hydrocarbon products are produced via dissociatively adsorbed CO with no CO insertion. The rate-determining step has been examined, leading to the conclusion that it comprises the conversion of C₁ intermediates to the reaction products.