THE RELATION BETWEEN REDUCTION TEMPERATURE AND ACTIVITY IN COPPER-CATALYZED ESTER HYDROGENOLYSIS AND METHANOL SYNTHESIS

Zinc and manganese promoted silica supported copper catalysts show an activity increase in methyl acetate hydrogenolysis and methanol synthe sis after high temperature reductive treatments. The effect of reducti on can largely be reversed by applying a treatment in an inert atmosph ere at reduction temperature, which results in a decrease in copper su rface area as measured by N2O chemisorption and which is accompanied b y distinct changes in the XRD pattern of the catalyst. These phenomena could be explained with a model assuming the reversible formation of epitaxial, two-dimensional, copper particles on top of a mixed oxide p hase.