The role of alcohols in the mechanism of the fischer‐tropsch synthesis: The decomposition of alcohols in the presence of cobalt catalysts

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Abstract
A study has been made of the effect of changes in reaction conditions on the decomposition ofn‐primary alcohols over cobalt catalysts in the presence of hydrogen or mixtures of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The increases in reaction rate with increases in temperature and space velocity are similar for the alcohol decomposition and Fischer‐Tropsch synthesis reactions. With the exception of ethyl alcohol, the most stable of the alcohols, alcohols decompose in synthesis gas (CO + 2H2) at 150° at a rate comparable with that of the synthesis reaction. From an examination of the products of decomposition, it would appear that the main reaction is dehydration of the alcohol. Although the formation of higher hydrocarbons by chain growth takes place during the reaction, especially in the presence of small quantities of carbon monoxide, chain growth from an alcohol which has been desorbed from the surface is not considered to be an important step in the synthesis reaction. The results are consistent with the conception that alcohols are the true primary products of the synthesis.

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