Hydrogenation of lower alkenes and conjugated diene catalyzed by Ga2O3

Hydrogenation of lower alkenes such as ethylene, propylene, and 1-butene proceeded over gallium oxide (Ga2O3). The rate of the hydrogenation was faster in the order of ethylene ≫ propylene > 1-butene over Ga2O3. Ga2O3 also showed the activity for hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene where 1,4-addition of hydrogen to 1,3-butadiene mainly took place to give 2-butenes as main products. The formation rate of hydrogenated products depended on the amounts of H2 and alkenes adsorbed on Ga2O3. This implies that the hydrogenation proceeds on the basis of the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism.