The reaction of methanol vapour with silver(I) oxide

Abstract

The reaction of methanol with silver(I) oxide has been studied in the temperature range 56.5-78.4°. For complete reduction of the oxide at 78.4°, the available oxygen is fully accounted for by the products, formaldehyde, formic acid, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water. In the temperature range 56.5-70.2° the net measured rates of formation of these products are expressed by equations of the form,                    rate = Aexp(-E/RT), and the kinetic data are interpreted as the consecutive formation of the products on the surface without complete desorption to the gas phase between each step. For the dominant product, carbon dioxide, at the mean temperature the values of A and E are 10^28.5 μg oxygen per minute and 41.3 kcal mole^-1 respectively. The former is interpreted in terms of a simple collision model and the latter compared with values obtained for the thermal decomposition of the oxide.