Discovery, development, and commercialization of gold catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination

Johnston, Peter, Carthey, Nicholas and Hutchings, Graham John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-1560 2015. Discovery, development, and commercialization of gold catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination. Journal of the American Chemical Society 137 (46) , pp. 14548-14557. 10.1021/jacs.5b07752

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Abstract

Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is a major chemical intermediate for the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is the third most important polymer in use today. Hydrochlorination of acetylene is a major route for the production of vinyl chloride, since production of the monomer is based in regions of the world where coal is abundant. Until now, mercuric chloride supported on carbon is used as the catalyst in the commercial process, and this exhibits severe problems associated with catalyst lifetime and mercury loss. It has been known for over 30 years that gold is a superior catalyst, but it is only now that it is being commercialized. In this Perspective we discuss the use and disadvantages of the mercury catalyst and the advent of the gold catalysts for this important reaction. The nature of the active site and the possible reaction mechanism are discussed. Recent advances in the design and preparation of active gold catalysts containing ultralow levels of gold are described. In the final part, a view to the future of this chemistry will be discussed as well as the possible avenues for the commercial potential of gold catalysis.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Chemistry
Subjects:	Q Science > QD Chemistry
Additional Information:	ACS AuthorChoice - This is an open access article published under an ACS AuthorChoice License, which permits copying and redistribution of the article or any adaptations for non-commercial purposes.
Publisher:	American Chemical Society
ISSN:	0002-7863
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	06 May 2023 18:36
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/87732

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