Reaction of carbon monoxide with nitrous oxide on vanadium pentoxide catalysts containing alkali metal sulfate additives

Abstract

The kinetics of the catalyzed reaction between carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide to yield carbon dioxide and nitrogen from 673 to 773 K has been studied on vanadium pentoxide and on a series of vanadium pentoxide melts containing individually 9.09 mol% of the sulfates of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium. The additive activity series was V 2O 5 (pure) < Li 2SO 4 < Na 2SO 4 < K 2SO 4 < Rb 2SO 4 < Cs 2SO 4 and exhibited a compensation effect which is associated with changes in surface oxygen mobility which influence catalytic site activity. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood treatment has been used to interpret the kinetic data and a mechanism is proposed which is related to the presence of two types of oxygen species on the catalyst surface, only one of which may be directly involved in the oxidation process of carbon monoxide.