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Catalysis by intermetallic compounds III. The hydrogenation of buta‐1,3‐diene catalysed by cePd 3– x Au x alloys
Author(s) -
Bahia Amrik,
Harris I. Rex,
Winterbottom John M.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.280600403
Subject(s) - intermetallic , auger electron spectroscopy , catalysis , alloy , butene , materials science , chemistry , crystallography , inorganic chemistry , ethylene , metallurgy , organic chemistry , physics , nuclear physics
The intermetallic alloy series CePd 3– x Au x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) has been prepared from its constituent elements by carbon arc melting and employed as catalysts for the hydrogenation of buta‐1,3‐diene at 1 bar (101·5 kPa) total pressure in the temperature range 50–120°C. Selectivities for butene formation and initial butene distributions were very similar to those measured for CePd 3 and Pd‐rich CePd 3– x Pd x alloys. Activity measurements showed that CePd 2 Au, was about three times more active than CePd 3 despite having a surface which was shown by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) to be deficient in Pd compared with the bulk and also compared with CePd 3 . Although a relationship appears to exist between catalyst activity and bulk electronic properties it can be only fortuitous and the surface electronic structure must be the important factor especially in view of the palladium‐deficient surface.