Influence of the Ir content and the support on the thiotolerance of the Ir/SiO₂‐Al₂O₃ catalysts for selective ring opening of decalin

Abstract

The influence of Ir content on sulphur tolerance for the selective ring opening of decalin was investigated. Ir/SiO2‐Al2O3 catalysts (70 wt% and 80 wt% SiO2) were used. In the absence of sulphur, slight differences were observed on the yields according to the metallic content regardless of the support used. Although the results of cyclopentane hydrogenolysis showed that the metallic function acquires importance as the metal content increases, for these metal percentages the acid function limits the rate of decalin opening reaction. Products distribution are strongly modified using decalin with S content compared to pure decalin. The formation of dehydrogenated products is virtually null due to S adsorbed on the metal sites. The support has low influence on the thiotolerance. The results, related to the amount of S per Ir surface atom, showed that for a moderate S content (S/Irsurf ∼ 0.30), 1.5 Ir/Sy appears to be less poisoned than 1Ir/Sy and 2Ir/Sy.