Methane conversion strategies that protect methanol via
in situ
esterification achieve higher yields compared to direct methane conversion
without product protection; however, most of these high-yield systems
operate under unfavorable conditions. To date, there is very limited
work in developing heterogeneous catalysts for methane-to-methyl-ester
conversion, and studies demonstrating the activity of manganese for
methane conversion are limited. We have prepared a series of silica-,
titania-, and zirconia-supported manganese catalysts and measured
the activity of these catalysts for the aerobic conversion of methane
to methyl trifluoroacetate in diluted trifluoroacetate acid. The silica-supported
catalyst exhibits high overall activity, but significant amounts of
homogeneously active manganese are observed. Titania- and zirconia-supported
manganese catalysts catalyze the reaction heterogeneously with activities
up to 613 μmol gcat
–1 h–1 and show nondetectable leaching. Manganese oxide is poorly dispersed
on titania and zirconia, whereas high dispersion is realized on silica.
This work demonstrates a facilely synthesized supported manganese
catalyst that converts methane heterogeneously in satisfactory yields
under improved conditions in a diluted acid, compared to those of
conventional methane-to-methyl-ester systems.