Copper/Zinc L-Tartrates: Mixed Crystals and Thermolysis to a Mixture of Copper Oxide and Zinc Oxide That Is Catalytically Active in Methanol Synthesis

The system consisting of copper/zinc L‐tartrate mixed crystals has been systematically explored in the whole range from pure copper tartrate to pure zinc tartrate. Mixed crystal L‐tartrates were prepared and their thermochemical behaviour under oxygen was investigated. Oxidic precatalysts (CuO/ZnO) for catalytic tests in methanol synthesis were prepared by mild thermolysis of the mixed tartrates in air at 300 °C. Catalytic tests were performed with a multi‐channel parallel reactor. The catalytic activity shows a maximum at about equal amounts of copper and zinc whereas the specific surface area (BET surface) increases strongly when going from CuO to ZnO. This system offers a convenient, inexpensive route to CuO/ZnO precatalysts with adjustable compositions that avoids all other metals during preparation. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)