Catalytic properties of carbon-supported ruthenium catalysts for n-hexane conversion Original Research Article

The effect of the support (graphite, activated carbon, silica and alumina) has been investigated using the conversion of n-hexane as model reaction. The catalysts were characterized by H2 adsorption and transmission electron microscopy. Also, the CO adsorption was studied by microcalorimetry. The higher initial heat of CO adsorption observed on ruthenium/graphite indicates an enhanced electron density of the ruthenium particles caused by electron transfer from the graphite. The catalytic results show that ruthenium particles with an increased electron density have a higher activity for the n-hexane conversion accompanied by a preference for hydrogenolysis reaction, with the hydrogenolysis pattern corresponding to a multiple fragmentation. The higher resistance of ruthenium/graphite catalysts to deactivation by carbonaceous deposits was also observed.