Abstract
The catalytic transformation of the heavy aromatics in bitumen into lighter components is the key to the upgrading and refining of the oil sands. To understand the chemical bonding in molybdenum carbide nanoparticle (MCNP) catalysts and the chemisorption bonds between the MCNPs and unsaturated hydrocarbons, the topological analysis of the electron localization function was applied to various MCNPs and their complexes with unsaturated hydrocarbons. For some of the smaller complexes, comparisons are made with the atoms in molecules approach, including the calculation of delocalization indices. The results are interpreted in the Lewis bonding scheme. It was found that the Mo–C bonding can be highly ionic in cases like Mo8C12 and MoC but shows significant covalent character in Mo2C, Mo3C, and Mo28C14. The chemisorption bonds between hydrocarbons and the MCNPs involve electron sharing of various types with strong covalent character. The strong three– or four–center interactions determine the adsorption configurations of the hydrocarbons on the MCNPs. Derivatives of benzene show some different bonding features, which depend strongly on the substituent or the heteroatom.
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