Liquid phase methanol hydrocarbonylation with homogeneous and heterogeneous Rh and Ru catalysts

Heterogeneous rhodium and ruthenium catalysts supported on activated carbon were studied in the liquid phase hydrocarbonylation of methanol. The activity and selectivity of the catalysts were determined and compared with the respective homogeneous metal precursors. The stability of the catalysts were determined by analysing the metal contents of the catalysts before and after the hydrocarbonylation reaction. The supported metal catalysts showed comparable activity to the respective homogeneous metal precursors, evidently because the activity originated from the metal leached from the support and was therefore based on the homogeneous catalysis of the dissolved metals. The stability of the metal on the support decreased with higher metal dispersion and was most closely related to the oxygen content of the carbon support.