PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MOLYBDENUM-DISULFIDE CATALYSTS

Molybdenum disulphide has been prepared by atmospheric-pressure hydrog en reduction of molybdenum trisulphide in the temperature range 400-75 0-degrees-C for 4 h and characterized. Chemical analysis of the produc t confirmed the S to Mo ratio 2.00 as desired for MoS2, consistent wit h its thermogravimetric analysis data in an air atmosphere. MoS2 prepa red under these reducing conditions possessed a hexagonal structure wi th n-type diamagnetic semiconducting behaviour and a lower surface are a. The catalytic activity of the MoS2 was studied for liquid-phase hyd rogenation of nitrobenzene. X-ray studies on MoS3 when reduced at 750- degrees-C for 48 h indicated that MoS2 So formed is unstable, resultin g in the formation of its over-reduced products Mo2S3 and Mo.