Direct Conversion of Ethylene to Propylene
J.M. Basset
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
and
University of Lyon
LCOMS, UMR CNRS/CPE/UCBL C2P2 43 Bd 11 November 1918
69616 Villeurbanne France
The overlap between heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis has resulted in the field of
“surface organometallic chemistry”. By this approach it is possible to create “single site
catalysts” onto well defined surfaces. In the last 20 years or so a variety of surface
organometallic complexes have been synthesized by creating one to several bonds between
transition metal elements and the surface of oxides and metals.
The accuracy of the grafting directly onto the surfaces of oxides and metals has been made
possible thanks to the number of physical and chemical tools applicable to such surface
“single site” species. The accuracy of the structural determination has made it possible to
determine the elementary steps of surface reactions occurring between the reactant
molecules and the surface.
With the help of the fundamental and conceptual tools of molecular chemistry and
elementary steps of organometallic chemistry it has been possible to describe the
mechanism of catalytic cycles in the field of alkane chemistry (alkane metathesis).
It has thus been possible to discover a number of new catalytic reactions in the filed of
paraffins and olefins. These new reactions will be described in this lecture. They include:
–
Metathesis of alkanes (with Tantalum and Tungsten hydrides)
–
Methane-olysis of alkanes (with Tantalum hydrides)
–
Methane to ethane and hydrogen (with Tungsten hydrides)
–
Ethylene to propylene (with Tungsten hydrides)
[1]
Vidal, V.; Theolier, A.; Thivolle-Cazat, J.; Basset, J.-M. Science 1997, 276, 99-102.
[2]
Lefebvre, F.; Basset, J.-M. Curr. Top. Catal. 2002, 3, 215-224.
[3]
Taoufik, M.; Le Roux, E.; Thivolle-Cazat, J.; Basset, J.-M., Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 7202-7205.
[4]
Soulivong, D.; Coperet, C.; Thivolle-Cazat, J.; Basset, J.-M.; Maunders, B. M.; Pardy, R. B. A.; Sunley, G. J..
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 5366-5369.
[5]
Soulivong, D.; Norsic, S.; Taoufik, M.; Coperet, C.; Thivolle-Cazat, J.; Chakka, S.; Basset, J.-M. J. Am.
Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 5044-5045.