Mechanisms for hydrogenation of acetone to isopropanol and of carbon oxides to methanol over copper-containing oxide catalysts

Mechanisms for the synthesis of methanol from CO and CO 2 and for the hydrogenation of acetone to isopropanol are discussed based on the recent experimental results obtained by the authors. The state of copper-containing compounds in a hydrogen medium at 200–400°C and the nature of their interaction with the reaction components were studied. Hydrogenation of carbon oxides and acetone was proposed to be the result of the ability of copper ions to reversible transformations to generate copper metal and protons. Activation of acetone and CO 2 can be achieved through their interaction with Cu 0 , and activation of CO through its interaction with oxygen-containing sites of Cu +1 OCu +1 type which are formed after oxidation of a portion of Cu 0 with carbon dioxide.