This
article presents the results of our study on the direct mechanochemical
synthesis of tetramethoxysilane in a high-pressure reactor using CuO
and CuCl as catalysts and some promoters. The rate of the reaction
of silicon with methanol in the presence of CuO is significantly lower
than that in the presence of CuCl. A method for studying the influence
of promoters (SnCl2, Zn, and PbCl2) on different
process steps (formation of an active silicide and the reaction of
silicon with methanol) has been proposed. It has been shown that the
addition of 5000 ppm of SnCl2 [or the same amount of Sn
as Sn(0)] improves the rate of the reaction between silicon and methanol
in the presence of a low-active copper source (CuO) to the level provided
by CuCl. Scanning electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of the contact masses (CM)
carried out at different steps of the process showed that tin promotes
the reduction of CuO to Cu by silicon. The term “mechanochemical
contact mass” was proposed because in traditional systems without
in situ milling (fixed bed, slurry, and fluidization), the CMs are
static, resulting in uneven formation of active reaction sites.