The thermal decomposition of Ru3(C0),, has been studied for the first time by dispersing this cluster on an oxygen-free carbon support and using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The R u~( C O )~~ clusters on carbon decomposed straightforwardly in He but transformed to H4Ru4(C0),, during decarbonyiation in H2. First-order rate constants of decomposition in He and H2 were determined for each cluster, compared to literature values for nucleophilic substitution in solution, and found to be similar. This implies that the rate-determining step in these decomposition reactions appears to be the same as that in substitution reactions-removal of the first CO ligand. The activation energy of decarbonylation of RU,(CO)~, was near 20.5 kcal/mol in He, while Ru,(CO),~ and H4R~4(C0)12 had values of 18-22 kcal/mol in H2. These activation energies are lower than those observed for substitution reactions in solution, but this can be explained by considering Ru-Ru bond formation during the decomposition process to give highly dispersed metallic Ru crystallites. Chemisorption measurements confirmed the presence of very small Ru particles on carbon following decomposition at 673 K under either He or H2, and the DRIFTS spectra of CO chemisorbed on these Ru crystallites indicated the presence of zerovalent Ru. The resulting Ru/C catalysts exhibited low CO hydrogenation turnover frequencies consistent with values in the literature for very small Ru crystallites on inert supports.The isothermal, integral heat of adsorption of CO was measured calorimetrically at 300 K and found to be 24.2 * 1.6 kcal/mol. This study is part of the first successful application of an IR spectroscopic technique to characterize carbon-supported metals.
IntroductionA significant interest in carbon as a support for metal catalysts presently exists,l-I6 primarily because amorphous carbons can be prepared with high surface areas of over 1000 m2/g and can stabilize highly dispersed Ru, Co, Fe, and Mn These carbons can be highly dehydroxylated and decarboxylated, and they possess the capability to stabilize highly dispersed crystallites in metallic form in the absence of surface functional groups which are typically present on ordinary oxide supports.17 These highly dispersed metals have been shown to be very active and, in some *To whom correspondence should be sent cases, quite unique CO hydrogenation Electronic interactions in these metal-carbon systems have been pro-Jung, H. J.; Vannice, M. A.; Mulay, L. N.; Stanfield, R. M.; Delgass, W. N. J . Catul. 1982, 76, 208. Niemantsverdriet, J. W.; van der Kraan, A. M.; Delgass, W. N.; Vannice, M. A. J . Phys. Chem. 1985, 89, 61. (3) Kaminsky, M.; Yoon, K. J.; Geoffroy, G. L.; Vannice, M. A. J. Curd. 1985, 91, 338. (4) Chen, A.; Kaminsky, M.; Geoffroy, G. L.; Vannice, M. A. J. Phys. Chem. 1986, 90, 4810. ( 5 ) Venter, J. J.; Kaminsky, M.; Geoffroy, G. L.; Vannice, M. A. J . Cum/. 1987, 103, 450. (6) Venter, J. J.; Kaminsky, M.; Geoffroy, G. L.; Vannice, M. A. J . Curd. 1987, 105, 15...