Behavior of highly-dispersed metallic iron catalysts during exposure to carbon monoxide

Abstract

The effects of the exposure to carbon monoxide of small metallic iron particles supported on carbon black, alumina and graphite were studied. The alumina- and graphite-supported samples adsorbed amounts of CO consistent with the metallic iron surface areas estimated by magnetic susceptibility. The carbon black-supported samples, however, adsorbed large amounts of CO, in some cases an average of more than three molecules per iron atom. Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that iron pentacarbonyl was formed. The formation of Fe(CO) 5 is thought to require small, coordinatively unsaturated iron particles.