The measurement of copper surface areas by reactive frontal chromatography

✍ Scribed by G.C. Chinchen; C.M. Hay; H.D. Vandervell; K.C. Waugh

• Book ID: 113178296
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 630 KB
• Volume: 103
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9517
• DOI: 10.1016/0021-9517(87)90094-7

✦ Synopsis

A technique, termed here "reactive frontal chromatography," which permits the evaluation of copper areas in oxide-supported copper catalysts in general is described. The aspect which relates to normal frontal chromatography is that of the flow switching technique, flows being changed from helium to a helium/nitrous oxide mixture. In this case, however, instead of simply observing the N20 uptake as in normal frontal chromatography, the NzO decomposes upon adsorption yielding Nz in the gas phase, the oxygen being chemisorbed on the surface: this is the reactive aspect. Therefore before the N20 breakthrough occurs, N2 is evolved in an amount equivalent to the number of oxygen atoms chemisorbed on the copper surface. The technique has been calibrated against a sample of unsupported copper whose area is determined in the same apparatus by the BET method. o 1987 Academic Press, IX. ' The technique described in this paper is the subject of ICI UK Patent Application 8512684 and enquiries regarding licenses to use this technique shoul d be addressed to G. C. Chi nchen.