DECOMPOSITION OF ISOPROPANOL OVER MGO AND COO-MGO SOLID-SOLUTIONS

The decomposition of isopropanol is studied over well-outgassed MgO and CoxMg1 - xO (x = 0.07, 0.30) as catalysts in the temperature range from 180 to 250 °C. A micropulse technique is used, with high-temperature outgassing between pulses. The dependence of conversion on flow rate, pulse size, and temperature is investigated for CoxMg1 - xO. All the catalysts are selective for dehydrogenation, producing acetone. The effect of incorporating cobalt ions is to increase the activity of MgO; small amounts (x = 0.07) have a relatively greater effect than large amounts (x = 0.30). A mechanism involving coordinatively unsaturated cations and changes in cation-anion bond character is proposed to account for the reactions and for the enhanced activity of the cobalt-containing MgO. © 1979.