The Chemistry of the Oxychlorination Catalyst: an In Situ, Time-Resolved XANES Study

The rate-determining step of the ethylene oxychlorination reaction on CuCl2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst could be identified by an in situ, time-resolved XANES study. According to these data (see figure; E=photon energy) and the simultaneously determined catalyst activity, the rate-determining step is the oxidation of CuCl. The dopant potassium chloride, added to the industrial catalysts, decreases the rate of the reduction step, which becomes the rate-determining step for the KCl/CuCl2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2002/z18372_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.