Abstract
A lamellar compound of graphite (LCG) with FeCl3 was treated in flowing Ar or H2 in the temperature range from 400 to 800°C. The FeCl3 in the layers was reduced to FeCl2 or to metallic Fe whose contents changed depending on the conditions of treatment. Hydrogenation of carbon monoxide was investigated at 400°C and 20atm using these LCG catalysts. Although the active site of the LCG catalyst was the metallic Fe located between the graphite layers, it was shown that the content of FeCl2 in the layers was important for controlling catalytic activity of the LCG. The catalytic activity of the LCG increased with increasing FeCl2 content up to 0.9mmol/g-catalyst. However, FeCl2 itself showed no catalytic activity at 400°C. As is known, the interlayer spacing of graphite enlarged by FeCl2 is larger than that enlarged by Fe, and the FeCl2 in the LCG catalyst probably behaves as the spacer.
