Hopcalite

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Hopcalite

Hopcalite is the trade name for a number of mixtures that mainly consist of oxides of copper and manganese, which are used as catalysts for the conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide when exposed to the oxygen in the air at room temperature.

The name "hopcalite" is derived from Johns Hopkins University - "Hop" and the University of California - "Cal", where basic research into carbon monoxide was carried out during the First World War and these catalysts were discovered in 1918.[1][citation needed]

A variety of compositions are known, such as "hopcalite II" that is approximately 60% manganese dioxide and 40% copper oxide (the MnO2 : CuO molar ratio is 1.375)[2] and "hopcalite I" that is a mixture of 50% MnO, 30% CuO, 15% Co2O3, and 5% Ag2O.[2][3] Hopcalite has the properties of a porous mass and resembles activated carbon in its appearance.[1]

While typically hopcalite catalysts are prepared by calcining intimate mixtures of oxides and carbonates,[4] various techniques have been employed for producing hopcalites in the laboratory and on an industrial scale, such as physical mixing of the (finely divided) metal oxides, co-precipitation of the metal oxides from metal salt solutions (see salts), thermal decomposition of mixtures of metal nitrates (see nitrate) and metal carbonates (see carbonate), one-step synthesis via flame spray pyrolysis from organic and inorganic precursor systems, e.g.[5] Nanophase hopcalite catalysts have also been described.[6]

Although hopcalite-based catalysts have been used in practice for decades, many questions regarding their mode of action are still open. This is due to their complex structures, which make it difficult to obtain information about the active centers and the mechanisms of catalysis and deactivation.

Applications

See also

References

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