Studies of the partial oxidation of methane over heterogeneous catalysts

Abstract

Studies have been made of the effects of certain gaseous additives on the oxidation of methane over palladium catalysts. It has been shown that, whereas higher alkanes and partial oxidation products of methane simply retard overall oxidation of the hydrocarbon, certain organic halogen compounds not only reduce the rate of oxidation of methane but also result in the production of isolatable quantities of formaldehyde in high selectivity. In the light of a proposed mechanism for the oxidation of methane in the absence of additives, the action of the halogen compounds is interpreted in terms of the ability of such additives to modify the catalyst surface and to inhibit the further oxidation of the initial products of methane oxidation.