THE OXIDATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE BY SOLID SILVER PERMANGANATE REAGENTS: IV. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION IN RELATION TO ACTIVITY

The activity after progressive aging and thermal treatment of silver permanganate supported on zinc oxide and beryllium oxide was found to be closely related to the extent of decomposition of the crystalline silver permanganate. The silver salt decomposed, with loss of active oxygen, to a relatively insoluble, amorphous product resembling a manganito-manganate of the composition, Ag2O Mn2O5 or [AgMnO3]2. From a mass balance of solid–gas reactants in a reacting column, it was demonstrated that in the most active stage, during which the efficiency of oxidation did not fall below 90%, the course of the reaction was about evenly divided between stoichiometric and catalytic processes.