Open AccessSome experiments on the catalytic reduction of ethylene to ethane
Author(s) -
Dorothy Muriel Palmer,
William George Palmer
Publication year - 1921
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series a, containing papers of a mathematical and physical character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9150
pISSN - 0950-1207
DOI - 10.1098/rspa.1921.0053
Subject(s) - ethylene , catalysis , chemistry , hydrogen , nickel , organic chemistry
Finely divided reduced nickel has been applied as an active agent in the catalysis of a great range of reactions, but very little is known about the mechanism of its action. It was thought that the intensive study of some particular process might be of interest, in view of the paucity of quantitative information about catalysis. The reaction selected for investigation was the combination of ethylene and hydrogen to form ethane. Sabatier states that in the presence of freshly reduced nickel this reaction begins at 30°-45°C., and continues with the evolution of heat; thus there are few of the difficulties encountered when working at higher temperatures. Ethylene and hydrogen can both be obtained in a high degree of purity, and since the reacting and resultant substances are gases with simple volume relations between them, it was found possible to watch the progress of the reaction by a static method.