Relationship between surface properties of PtSn-SiO2 catalysts and their catalytic performance for the CO2 and propylene reaction to yield hydroxybutanoic acid

The catalytic coupling of CO2 and propylene has been studied on a silica-su pported platinum-tin catalyst containing the well-defined PtSn phase. Micro calorimetry of adsorption has been applied to investigate the interaction o f the reactants with the surface of the catalyst. When the adsorption prope rties of the bimetallic catalyst are compared with those of monometallic co unterparts, significant differences in the strength and number of adsorptio n sites concerning CO2 and propylene are evidenced. The adsorption properti es of the bimetallic catalyst have been related to its catalytic behaviour. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.