New concepts and results concerning the mechanism of carbon monoxide hydrogenation: I. Organic oxygen compounds produced during medium-pressure synthesis with iron catalysts

Abstract

Organic oxygen compounds formed by catalytic carbon monoxide hydrogenation during the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are of interest as possible main products to be synthesized for use as basic organic chemicals. They also attract attention as a complex mixture of byproducts, the knowledge of the exact composition of which might contribute to the understanding of the complicated set of surface reactions of the Fischer-Tropsch system. In this investigation the homologous series of straight-chain and branched alcohols, ketones and acids have been determined in products of carbon monoxide hydrogenation through the processes of medium-pressure iron fixed-bed and entrained-phase operation. Quantitative relationships could be found for the change of the amounts of the number of homologous series with carbon number as well as between the amounts of compounds belonging to different series. These interrelations allow generalization in the form of reaction schemes. In a second paper detailed mechanistic interpretation of these findings is given.