Metal containing layered double hydroxides as efficient catalyst precursors for the selective conversion of acetone

Layered double hydroxides or hydrotalcite-like materials containing Ni, Co and Fe are prepared by coprecipitation technique. They are characterized by XRD, hydrogen and oxygen adsorption measurements, determination of acidity and surface area. Acetone conversion in presence of hydrogen has been carried out over these compounds at 373 K and at a pressure of 1 atm. They are found to be efficient catalysts in the selective conversion of acetone. NiMgAl selectively gives methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) whereas CoMgAl gives methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) and FeMgAl produces mesityl oxide (MSO) which are all valuable chemicals. The formation of different products is related to the bifunctional nature of the catalysts involving both metallic and acid-base nature. The activity and product selectivity obtained are compared with those obtained over coprecipitated alumina-supported Ni, Co and Fe catalysts containing the same metal content. A mechanism of product formation is proposed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.