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Preparation of a Supported Polymeric Ligand-Bound Rhodium Catalyst

Chinese Patent Application 85100883 from the Institute of Chemistry, Acad-

emia Sinica, discloses a supported poly-

merit ligand-bound rhodium catalyst and

its preparation method. The catalyst

consists of a chelate cis-dicarbonyl

rhodium (1) cation ligand catalyst and

as a promotor iodomethane. The chelate- type catalyst is formed by a copolymer

which contains a pyridine ring and cer-

tain functional groups in which the ali-

phatic carbon atom joins with a hetero- atom (!I, 0 or S) in a double bond. This new catalyst is suitable for carbonylat- ion of methanol to methyl acetate and

acetic acid; it even gives acetic anhy-

dride directly without adding hydroiodic acid under relative mild condition.

New Polymerisation

Chinese Patent Application 85102996 from Shamen University discloses a sup- ported catalyst with high titanium load- ing for ethylene polymerisation. The catalyst comprises of component A and

component B - an alkyl aluminium. Com-

ponent A is a solid catalyst containing Mg and Ti. A reaction between M&12 and n-butyl alcolhol is the first step of the synthesis of component A and this is followed by extractive distillation and alcoholysis with SiC14; a support con- sisting of a mixture of

T?C? C H O(MgCl)SiC13 is thus ""!~~ai*Z

is further reacted with the sup- port4mixture to give component A. The Ti

content in component A is 9-12 wt%. The catalyst exhibits high polymerisation activity under normal reaction condi- tions.

Wang Xinkui

Catalyst for the Synthesis of Raspberry

Ketone

Chinese Patent Application 85100462

from Nankai University disclosed a new catalyst which can be used for the synthesis of raspberry ketone CH -CH -COCH ) via hydrogena~~~nCb8~;

HOZC Hz-CH=&COCH . The catalyst sist$ $f 5% Pd susported on

con- activated

carbon. At room temperature and atmos-

pheric pressure, the yield of raspberry

ketone is said to reach up to 94.4%

(based on unsaturated ketone).

Synthesis of iso-Butene

An item in the Elsevier publication, New Materials Japan, Vo1.3, (I986), describes the discovery of a catalyst based on hafnium oxide for the synthesis of isobutene from a 1:3 mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen by a group of scientists working at Tokyo Institute of Technology. The Catalyst is prepared

from hafnium 2-oxychloride by reaction with aqueous ammonia to give hafnium

hydroxide which is in turn calcined at

5OO'C. The syn-gas reaction operates at

400°C at a pressure of 0.68 bar. 98% of the C4 hydrocarbons produced in a trial

run are claimed to have been isobutene.

No further details are given,

Chilian Course on Catalysis

The Chemical Department of the Facul-

ty of Sciences, Conception University (Chile) has published the Proceedings,

in Spanish, of an International Post- graduate Course under the title "Centros Metalicos y Centros Acidos en Catalisis Heterogenea". This course was held

between September 23 and October 10,

1985, with the support of the project

PNUD-UNESCO. The first chapter contains the lec-

tures given by Dr. Paul Ratnasamy from the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune (India) concerning: acid centers in solids, the characterisation of the ac- tivity of acid centers (Bronsted rela- tionship, mechanisms, carbonium ions, etc.), selectivity in reactions cat- alysed by solid acids and a discussion of catalytic cracking and reforming end petrochemical processes.

The second chapter focuses on the lectures given by Prof. Geoffrey Bond, Brunei University, Uxbridge (England). These concern catalysis by metals: cat- alytic properties of metals, preparation of small metallic particles, charac- terisation and structure of supported metallic catalysts and a discussion on the participation of active centers in the transformation of hydrocarbons.

The third chapter contains the Iec-

tures given by Prof. Jose M. Parera, Instituto de Investigaciones en Catal- isis y Petroquimica, Incape, Santa Fe

apblkdcm -Volume27 No. 1 - October1986