Hydrocracking of Acenaphthene over a Sulfided Ni–Mo/Al2O3 Catalyst

Abstract

Abstract The selectivity of ring opening was investigated for the hydrocracking of acenaphthene under an initial hydrogen pressure of 6 MPa and in the temperature range from 390 to 450 °C. Major products were classified into the following six components: tetrahydroacenaphthylene, hexahydroacenaphthylene, perhydroacenaphthylene, ring opening products (bicyclic compounds and monocyclic compounds), alkylation products (tricyclic compounds of C13 or larger), and dimerization products (biacenaphthene and their hydrogenated compounds). Ring opening of acenaphthene proceeded via two routes: the direct ring opening of acenaphthene and ring opening after hydrogenation to hexahydroacenaphthylene. In the former reaction only 1-ethylnaphthalene was produced, while 1,8-dimethylnaphthalene and its hydrogenated products were not observed. In the latter reaction, on the other hand, two types of ring opening of a C–C bond adjacent to the benzene ring, the opening of a saturated five-membered ring to produce 1-ethyltetralin and the opening of a saturated six-membered ring to produce 1-propylindane, were observed.