Abstract
Researches on reactions with solid catalysts have focused on: 1) surface chemistry, 2) catalyst structure, and 3) mass and heat transfers. From other point of view, these researches are based on the assumption that a raw material for a catalytic reaction reaches the reaction field, i.e. the surface of catalyst, without any chemical changes. If the advantage that "a raw material for a catalytic reaction is converted to appropriate active species before reaching the conventional catalysis field" outweighs the disadvantage that "external energy needs to be added", it leads to possibility of creating a new reaction field. This study focuses on the reaction characteristics of active hydrocarbon species mainly composed of methine radicals and active hydrogen species mainly composed of hydrogen radicals, to both of which methane as a raw material is converted by irradiating with microwave to create plasma state, in contact with Pt/Al2O3 catalysis field. The results indicate that active hydrocarbon and hydrogen species in contact with the Pt/Al2O3 catalyst can facilitate hydrogenation on the surface of catalyst. In addition, mixing of active hydrocarbon species with non-irradiated hydrogen molecules can enhance the catalyst's ability to hydrogenate, which suggests that the conversion of the raw material for reaction to the active species can change the apparent equilibrium state.
