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Abstract

The hydrogenation of acrolein over pure and supported silver has been investigated with a focus on the influence of catalyst structure and reaction pressure (mbar to 20 bar range) on activity and selectivity. An onset of formation of allyl alcohol beyond 100 mbar reaction pressure (at 250 1C) is ascribed to a change in adsorption geometry upon increasing coverage. Smaller silver particles (in the nanometer range), the proximity of a reducible oxide component as well as high pressure lead to enhanced allyl alcohol formation; the selectivity to the other main product
propionaldehyde is reduced. The silver dispersion changed depending on the reaction pressure. Moreover, the presence of oxygen, most likely as subsurface oxygen, and the presence of defects are of paramount importance for the catalytic behaviour. The considerable changes of the silver
catalysts under reaction conditions and the pressure dependence call for in situ measurements to establish true structure–activity/selectivity relationships for this system.