New insights into the reaction mechanism and the rate-determining step of n-butane hydroisomerisation over reduced MoO3 catalysts

Abstract

The comparison of the proportions of the minor products formed during the hydroisomerisation of n-butane over reduced MoO3 with thermodynamic data demonstrates that a bifunctional mechanism operates and that the rate-determining step is the isomerisation of the linear butene intermediates to iso-butene.