Mechanistic study of CO formation from CO2 using a mixed-metal oxide of tin, iron, and aluminum

Abstract

A mechanistic study has been performed to show that a reduced mixed metal oxide derived from tin, iron, and aluminum oxides can remove oxygen from carbon dioxide. Thermogravimetric analysis confirms that reduction of the mixed-metal oxide likely involves the reduction of SnO₂and Fe₂O₃ phases. The reduced mixed-metal oxide can remove oxygen from carbon dioxide and this is shown using isotopically labelled C¹⁸O₂ and mass spectroscopy. The ¹⁸O-labelled mixed-metal oxide can transfer the abstracted oxygen to a different carbonaceous compound, in this case carbon monoxide. Oxygen is readily exchanged in the mixed-metal oxide. Under both oxidizing and reducing conditions ¹⁸O is exchanged with unlabelled O resulting in the observation of all isotopomers.