2319.     MORGAN, G. T., TAYLOR, R., AND HEDLEY, T. J.  Synthesis Under High Pressure.  Interaction of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen.  Jour. Soc. Chem. Ind., vol. 47, 1928, pp. 117-122T; Chem. Abs., vol. 22, 1928, p. 2919.

        Chemical Research Laboratory at Teddington, devoted to general investigations of high-pressure synthesis, is described in detail.  Numerous illustrations and drawings of high-pressure equipment are reproduced.  A Tantiron apparatus for generating CO from HCO₂H and H₂SO₄ is described.  MeOH has been synthesized at 400 atm. in relatively large quantities by circulation of CO-H₂ mixtures over any one of several catalysts made by mixing ZnO with other metallic oxides.  Other ZnO catalysts containing alkaline substances were used to synthesize mixtures of MeOH and higher alcohols.  These mixtures invariably contained small quantities of aldehydes, acids, and esters.  It was observed that primary alcohols only were identified; the aldehydes formed corresponded to the alcohols; addition of Co to the basic Zn chromate catalyst favored the production of higher alcohols; rise in temperature of the catalyst favored MeOH formation.  The reactions are assumed to involve primary HCHO synthesis.  The results so far obtained on the MeOH equilibrium are in agreement with Audibert and Reineau’s equation:  log K_p=P_MeOH/P_CO·(P_H2)²=27,000/(4.517T)—3.5 log T-3.6.