NATURE OF THE ACTIVE COMPONENT OF APPLIED COPPER-OXIDE CATALYSTS IN COMPLETE-OXIDATION REACTIONS

The catalytic properties of copper-aluminum oxide catalysts, character ized by means of x-ray crystallographic analysis, ESR spectroscopy, an d adsorption of CO, were studied in the oxidation of hydrogen. The spe cific catalytic activity of the samples is close to the activity of ma ssive copper aluminate and two orders of magnitude lower than the acti vity of massive copper oxide. An analysis of the data obtained showed that the activity is correlated with the number of sites that relative ly weakly retain CO at room temperature, which were assigned to the th ree-dimensional clusters of copper ions on the carrier surface.