Decomposition of 2-propanol on an intermetallic compound for hydrogen storage

Decompositon of 2-propanol has been carried out on the hydrogen storage material Mg2Cu and its modified form (OH-Mg2Cu) to study their catalytic behavior. The reaction was carried out in a continuous flow type reactor in the temperature range of 403-513 K at various flow rates. Mg2Cu showed good catalytic activity with large amounts of condensation products. Its modified form gave acetone as the only products. The reason for these differences is explained in terms of differences in the structure of the catalyst as determined by XRD and XPS, as well as by surface area measurements. The reason for the formation of condensation products is discussed. © 1994 Akadémiai Kiadó.