Silica-supported manganese oxide catalysts with loadings of 3, 10, 15, and 20 wt % (as MnO2) were characterized with use of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The edge positions in the X-ray absorption spectra indicated that the oxidation state for the manganese decreased with increasing metal oxide loading from a value close to that of Mn2O3 (+3) to a value close to that of Mn3O4 (+2(2)/3). The XRD was consistent with these results as the diffractograms for the supported catalysts of higher manganese oxide loading matched those of a Mn3O4 reference. The reactivity of the silica-supported manganese oxide catalysts in acetone oxidation with ozone as an oxidant was studied over the temperature range of 300 to 600 K. Both oxygen and ozone produced mainly CO2 as the product of oxidation, but in the case of ozone the reaction temperature and activation energy were significantly reduced. The effect of metal oxide loading was investigated, and the activity for acetone oxidation was greater for a 10 wt % MnOx/SiO2 catalyst sample compared to a 3 wt % MnOx/SiO2 sample.

Supported manganese oxide catalysts were prepared by the impregnation of alumina foam blocks washcoated with alumina and silica. The manganese content based on the weight of the washcoats was 10 wt % calculated as MnO2. Fourier transform profiles of the Mn K-edge EXAFS spectra for these samples gave three distinctive peaks at 0.15, 0.25, and 0.32 nm and were close to the profiles of Mn3O4 and beta-MnO2. The number of surface active sites was determined through oxygen chemisorption measurements at a reduction temperature (Tred = 443 K) obtained from temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) experiments. Acetone catalytic oxidation was studied from room temperature to 573 K, and was found to be highly accelerated by the use of ozone on both catalysts with substantial reductions in the reaction temperature. The only carbon-containing product detected was CO2. The alumina-supported catalyst was found to be more active than the silica-supported catalyst in acetone and ozone conversion, with higher turnover frequencies (TOFs) for both reactions. The pressure drop through the foam was low and increased little (0.003 kPa/10 000 h(-1)) with space velocity. In situ steady-state Raman spectroscopy measurements during the acetone catalytic oxidation reaction showed the presence of an adsorbed acetone species with a C-H bond at 2930 cm(-1) and a peroxide species derived from ozone with an O-O bond at 890 cm(-1).

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The dissociative adsorption of acetaldehyde on beta-Mo2C was studied using reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy. In contrast to what is observed for all metals previously studied, acetaldehyde undergoes selective carbonyl bond scission on the carbide surface. By comparison to calculated spectra, the surface product is identified as an oxo-ethylidene species. The study thus provides the first extended-range infrared spectrum of a propene metathesis initiator or propagator alkylidene. Aldehydes may be formed in the presence of olefins during the induction period of supported metal oxide olefin metathesis catalysts. Hence, the observed dissociative chemisorption of acetaldehyde suggests a possible answer to the question of how initiator sites are formed in heterogeneous olefin metathesis. This question has never been satisfactorily answered. In the proposed mechanism, aldehydes formed during the induction period subsequently react with the catalyst surface to generate alkylidene sites.

The behavior of surface species, formed from the adsorption of methanol and isobutyl alcohol (2-methyl-1-propanol) on MoO3/SiO2, was studied in an oxygen-containing atmosphere by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). At 250 °C, methanol adsorption resulted in the formation of surface methoxide species (CH3O−), whereas isobutyl alcohol adsorption resulted in surface isobutoxide species ((CH3)2CHCH2O−). Kinetic studies indicated that the rate-determining step for the alcohol oxidation was the cleavage of the α-C−H bond in the alkoxide intermediates. Although the α-C is a primary carbon in the case of methanol (CH3OH) and a secondary carbon in the case of isobutyl alcohol ((CH3)2CHCH2OH), the activation energies for the rate-determining step were found to be similar. Theoretical molecular orbital calculations confirmed these experimental results by also predicting similar activation energies for both alkoxide species. During oxidation of the alkoxide species in the absence of alcohol in the gas phase, new bands were observed, which were assigned to the CO bands of adsorbed acyl species. In the case of these species, further reaction with oxygen produced CO2. The acyl species are therefore likely not to be intermediates that lead to aldehyde products in alcohol oxidation.

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