Abstract
CONSIDERABLE effort has been devoted to the conversion of methane into more useful compounds1. Oxygen has generally been used to draw methane into reaction, at the cost of losing some of the feedstock as carbon dioxide. Several catalytic routes exist for the formation of synthesis gas, (CO + H2)2,3, but attempts to synthesize higher hydrocarbons from methane have not yet resulted in a commercially viable process4. Here we report that exposure of platinum to pure methane, followed by hydrogenation, can result in appreciable conversion to aliphatic hydrocarbons with up to six carbon atoms. Optimization of this process could lead to a new route to industrially important alkanes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Parkyns, N. D. Chem. in Brit. 841–844 (1990).
Kirk, R. E. & Othmer, D. F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology 3rd Edn. Vol. 12, 952 (Wiley, New York, 1980).
A. T. Ashcroft et al. Nature 344, 319–321 (1990).
Hutchings, G. J., Scurrell, M. S. & Woodhouse, J. R. Chem. Soc. Rev. 18, 251–283 (1989).
O'Donohoe, C., Clarke, J. K. A. & Rooney, J. J. J. chem. Soc, Faraday Trans. I 76, 345–356 (1980).
Sarkany, A. J. chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. I 82, 103–108 (1986).
Zhou, Y., Henderson, M. A., Feng, W. M. & White, J. M. Surf. Sci. 224, 386–406 (1989).
Ali, A. K. M., Saleh, J. M. & Hikmat, N. A. J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. I 83, 2391–2406 (1987).
Brady, R. C. & Pettit, R. J. Am. chem. Soc. 102, 6182–6184 (1980).
Pitchai, R. & Klier, K. Cat. Rev. Sci. Eng. 28, 13–88 (1986).
Yang, Q. Y., Johnson, A. D., Maynard, K. J. & Ceyer, S. T. J. Am. chem. Soc. 111, 8748–8749 (1989).
Bond, G. C. & Wells, P. B. Appl. Catal. 18, 221–224 (1985).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Belgued, M., Pareja, P., Amariglio, A. et al. Conversion of methane into higher hydrocarbons on platinum. Nature 352, 789–790 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/352789a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/352789a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
High-performance photocatalytic nonoxidative conversion of methane to ethane and hydrogen by heteroatoms-engineered TiO2
Nature Communications (2022)
-
Conversion of Methane to Methanol on Cobalt-Embedded Graphene: A Theoretical Perspective
Catalysis Letters (2022)
-
Direct methane activation by atomically thin platinum nanolayers on two-dimensional metal carbides
Nature Catalysis (2021)
-
Platinum clusters with precise numbers of atoms for preparative-scale catalysis
Nature Communications (2017)
-
Transformation of ethylene to higher hydrocarbons on silica-supported Ir catalysts: the nature of carbonaceous deposits
Applied Petrochemical Research (2012)