Hydrogenation catalyst

Abstract

An alpha-alumina support for a hydrogenation catalyst useful in hydrogenating fluoroolefins is provided.

1 . A catalyst composition comprising:
 a. about 90 to about 99.9 of alpha-alumina; and   b. about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent of at least one zero-valent metal, wherein said zero-valent metal is selected from the group consisting of Pd, Ru, Pt, Rh, Ir, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, Re, Os, and Au.   
     
     
         2 . An article of manufacture comprising a supported hydrogenation catalyst, wherein said supported hydrogenation catalyst comprises:
 a. a support comprising alpha-alumina and having at least one surface, and   b. at least one zero-valent metal disposed on at least a portion of said surface, wherein said zero-valent metal is present in an amount from about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent based upon the total weight of the support and said zero-valent metal.   
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 2  wherein said zero-valent metal is selected from the group consisting of Pd, Ru, Pt, Rh, Ir, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, Re, Os, and Au. 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 2  wherein said support comprises at least about 50 wt. % alpha-alumina. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 2  wherein said support comprises at least about 75 wt. % alpha-alumina. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 2  wherein said support consists essentially of said alpha-alumina. 
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 6  wherein said zero-valent metal comprises Pd and/or Pt. 
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 7  wherein said zero-valent metal comprises Pd. 
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 2  wherein said zero-valent metal comprises about 0.1 to about 5 weight percent of the combined weight of said catalyst and said support. 
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 5  wherein said zero-valent metal comprises about 0.1 to about 1 weight percent of the combined weight of said catalyst and said support. 
     
     
         11 .- 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method for hydrogenating a compound comprising:
 contacting a reactant comprising pentafluoropropene and/or hexafluoropropene with a supported hydrogenation catalyst under reaction conditions effective to form a reaction product comprising a hydrogenated derivative of pentafluoropropene and/or hexafluoropropene, wherein said supported hydrogenation catalyst comprises a zero-valent metal disposed on a support comprising at least about 90 percent by weight alpha-alumina.   
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein said support comprises at least about 95 wt. % alpha-alumina. 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14  wherein zero-valent metal is selected from the group consisting of Pd, Ru, Pt, Rh, Ir, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, Re, Os, and Au. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14  wherein said contacting comprises feeding said pentafluoropropene and/or hexafluoropropene into a first stage of a hydrogenation reactor at a rate resulting in a conversion of said pentafluoropropene and/or hexafluoropropene of from about 10% to about 60%. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein said reaction product further comprises at least a portion of said pentafluoropropene and/or hexafluoropropene from said reactant that remains unreacted subsequent to said contacting; and wherein said method further comprises converting, in one or more subsequent stages of said hydrogenation reactor, about 20 to about 100 percent of said pentafluoropropene and/or hexafluoropropene in said reaction product into said hydrogenated derivative of said pentafluoropropene and/or hexafluoropropene. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14  wherein zero-valent metal comprises Pd and/or Pt. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 14  wherein zero-valent metal comprises Pd and Pt.