The hydrogenation of methylacetylene. II. The reaction of methylacetylene with hydrogen catalyzed by nickel, iron, and cobalt

Abstract

The reaction between methylacetylene and hydrogen over unsupported nickel, iron, and cobalt catalyst has been investigated in a static constant volume system for a wide range of temperature and reactant ratios. The reaction over metals is largely simple hydrogenation, the early stages being principally a selective production of propylene with small yields of reduced polymers of methylacetylene. The orders of the hydrogenation were first and zero to slightly negative with respect to hydrogen and methylacetylene. The overall apparent activation energies for nickel, iron, and cobalt were 12.2, 8.1, and 7.3 kcal/mole respectively. Selectivity was highest with iron and least with nickel.