3642b.     WEITKAMP, A. W., SEELIG, H. S., BOWMAN, N. J., AND CADY, W. E.  Products of the Hydrogenation of Carbon Monoxide Over an Iron Catalyst.  Am. Chem. Soc., 121st Meeting abs., March-April 1952, p. 9-M.

        The general nature of the product from the hydrogenation of CO over an Fe catalyst has been investigated but not the detailed composition.  In the present work the hydrocarbons were analyzed by distillation, chromatography, spectrometric methods, and other means.  The wt. % yield reaches a maximum at 3 C’s and then declines almost exponentially with increasing C number.  In the aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons, olefins predominate and straight-chain structures are prevalent.  The straight-chain content decreases exponentially with increasing C number. The branched isomers and the alicyclic hydrocarbons occur in increasing proportions in higher C-number fractions.  Simple relationships among the structures and distributions of the open-chain and ring compounds reflect the mechanism of formation.  Significant deviations from thermodynamic equilibria indicate that competing reaction rates control product composition.  Knowledge of the composition not only aids in the efficient utilization of the product but also permits a better understanding of the process.