The mechanism of carbon dioxide hydrogenation on copper and nickel catalysts

The mechanism of the reaction of CO2 with H2 on copper and nickel catalysts was studied by means of isotope, non-steady-state, and steady-state methods. Staged schemes of the process were proposed. The slow step of CO formation on the test catalysts is the reaction of the adsorbed carboxylate complex with a hydrogen atom. It was shown that hydrogen adsorption on the copper catalyst is dissociative in character. A formyl complex and hydrogen are involved in the slow step of methane formation on the nickel catalyst. It was found that the methane formation proceeds via a consecutive scheme through CO.