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Literature Abstracts

 1405.    HERINGTON, E. F. G.  Ethylene and Acetylene Adsorption in Hydrogenation Catalysis.  Trans. Faraday Soc., vol. 37, 1941, pp. 361-366; Chem. Abs., vol. 35, 1941, p. 7274.

       Conditions of atomic separation for the chemisorption of C₂H₂ and C₂H₄ on the crystal facets of Ni and Co are compared.  Whereas C₄H₄ should be held on the short spacing, 2.47 Å., C₂H₂ will be held on the long, 3.50Å.  Adsorbed C₂H₄ has no free valences, whereas C₂H₂ is potentially reactive.  This is in agreement with experience, since C₂H₂ will polymerize in the presence of H₂ and a Co catalyst, although C₂H₄ is merely hydrogenated to C₂H₆.  Support for these views is found in the different behaviors of these gases in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis:  When C₂H₄ or C₂H₂ is introduced in the mixture of CO and H₂ used in this synthesis, C₂H₄ is incorporated in the oil products and in addition yields liquids containing O₂; on the other hand, it was found that the products from a mixture of C₂H₂, CO and H₂ are indistinguishable from a mixture of the C₂H₂ plus H₂ and CO plus H₂ products and do not contain appreciable quantities of O-containing compounds.