Hydrogenation of anthracene over active carbon-supported nickel catalyst

Hydrogen transfer behavior over active carbon and carbon-supported Ni catalyst was examined in the hydrogenation of anthracene with three kinds of hydrogen sources: hydrogen gas, hydrogen-donor tetralin and the combination of both. In tetralin, active carbon itself provided higher conversions of anthracene in the temperature range of 350-400 degrees C than Ni/C catalyst, while under the pressure of hydrogen gas, the addition of Ni metal onto active carbon remarkably promoted the hydrogenation of anthracene, providing a complete conversion at 300 degrees C. When both tetralin and hydrogen gas were used together, an apparent improvement in both conversion and product distribution was observed with active carbon, whereas with Ni/C catalyst, the rate of hydrogen consumed in the hydrogenation was apparently low in the temperature range of 300-320 degrees C, compared to that observed at the same temperatures using hydrogen gas alone. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.