US EPA

6151162 

Journal Article 

Catalytic reaction of cyclopropane with hydrogen over supported nickel: Factors affecting the distribution of reaction products 

Sinfelt, JH; Taylor, WF; Yates, DJC 

1965 

Yes 

Journal of Catalysis
ISSN: 0021-9517
EISSN: 1090-2694 

4 

3 

374-379 

10.1016/0021-9517(65)90313-1 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0021951765903131
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The reaction of cyclopropane with hydrogen was investigated over two catalysts containing 10 wt % nickel. One catalyst employed silica as the support and the other catalyst silica-alumina. Over the range of temperatures studied (27–109 °C), both catalyzed the formation of methane and ethane in addition to propane as the products. Kinetic measurements showed that the specific activity of the nickel for both the hydrogenolysis to methane and ethane and the hydrogenation to propane was lower when the metal was supported on silica-alumina. The support also influenced the selectivity of conversion of cyclopropane to the various reaction products. The distribution of products was also found to depend on the conditions of pretreating the catalyst prior to reaction, there being a marked difference depending on whether the catalyst after reduction was purged and cooled with flowing helium or cooled under hydrogen to reaction temperature. Regarding the mechanism of formation of methane and ethane, experiments on the hydrogenolysis of propane indicated that the methane and ethane formed from cyclopropane could not be explained by a secondary hydrogenolysis of the propane product.