Catalysts have revolutionized the petroleum industry, enabling the efficient production of a wide range of petrochemicals. Breaking carbon-hydrogen bonds as is required to produce chemicals from petroleum, however, often involves expensive noble-metal catalysts, high temperatures, and a lot of energy. A promising development could change that.
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a non-noble-metal catalyst that breaks carbon-hydrogen bonds at low temperatures. The catalyst, a mixture of cerium oxide and manganese oxide, exhibited high selectivity and activity for one of the most difficult carbon-hydrogen activation processes — the oxidation of cyclohexane to KA oil (K = cyclohexanone and A= cyclohexanol), a precursor of nylon.
This is not the first time a mixture of cerium oxide and manganese oxide has been used for catalytic oxidation. In fact, one such hybrid catalyst is superior to other catalysts for several types of reactions, including...
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