Mechanistic study of the catalytic hydrogenolysis of ethane

Abstract

A mechanistic investigation of the hydrogenolysis of ethane is presented. The chemisorptions of ethane and hydrogen produce a common surface species, adsorbed hydrogen, and the coverages of the two-carbon-atom surface compound and the adsorbed hydrogen are interdependent through the partial pressures of ethane and hydrogen. The kinetically slow rupture of the C—C bond takes place in an interaction with a free site, adsorbed hydrogen or molecular hydrogen. Based on a theoretical analysis and previous experimental results, our conclusion is that molecular hydrogen is the most probable agent in the bond splitting.