Acetoxylation of acetylene to vinyl acetate monomer over bimetallic Zn-Ni/AC catalysts

Zinc and bimetallic zinc-nickel catalysts for acetylene acetoxylation were prepared with Zn(OAc)(2) center dot 2H(2)O and Ni(OAc)(2)center dot 4H(2)O as precursors, and characterized by ICP-AES, BET, XPS, TEM, TPD-MS and TG. The catalytic performances of the obtained Zn-Ni/AC catalysts were tested in a fixed-bed reactor. The results indicated that the addition of nickel decreased the size of Zn(OAc)(2) particles and inhibited carbon deposition on the catalyst surface; there was a synergistic effect between the two metal components, which modified the electronic properties of Zn(OAc)(2) particles and modulated the catalytic adsorption of acetylene and acetic acid, thereby enhancing the activity and stability of the zinc catalysts.