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The use of sulfide cluster‐derived catalysts to understand the promotional effect in hydrotreatment catalysis
Author(s) -
Brenner J R,
Carvill B T,
Thompson L T
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
applied organometallic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1099-0739
pISSN - 0268-2605
DOI - 10.1002/aoc.590060507
Subject(s) - hydrodesulfurization , chemistry , catalysis , hydrodenitrogenation , bimetallic strip , sulfide , sulfur , molybdenum , cluster (spacecraft) , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , computer science , programming language
Sulfide cluster‐derived ensembles are promising models of the active sites in commercial hydrotreatment catalysts. A series of sulfide clusters were adsorbed intact onto high‐surface‐area γ‐alumina, magnesium oxide and activated carbon supports, then pretreated to produce highly dispersed catalytic ensembles with sizes similar to those of their precursor clusters. The activities of the bimetallic cluster‐derived catalysts were significantly higher than those of the monometallic catalysts. We took this as evidence that direct interactions between molybdenum and the promoter element cause the promotional effect observed in commercial hydrotreatment catalysts. The hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation activities correlated with the extent of molybdenum reduction. Our results suggested that the active sites in promoted hydrotreatment catalysts are centered on molecular‐scale ensembles containing molybdenum, sulfur and the promoter element.