Activity and selectivity of Fe catalysts from organometallic and inorganic precursors for hydrocracking of 4-(l-Naphthylmethyl) bibenzyl

This chapter discusses the activity and selectivity of iron (Fe) catalysts from organometallic and inorganic precursors for the hydrocracking of 4-(1-naphthylmethyl) bibenzyl. Some iron-containing catalysts have higher activity in the sulfur-free form. Adding sulfur to Fe precursors with Cp-ligands decreased the activity of the resulting catalyst. A positive correlation between sulfur addition and increased activity is seen, but a reversed trend between Fe cluster size and hydrocracking conversion is also observed for carbonyl-type Fe precursors. The activity and selectivity of Fe catalysts for 4-(naphthylmethyl)bibenzyl conversion depends strongly on the type of ligand environment, the oxidation state, and the number of intermetal bonds in the molecular precursor.