Abstract
The reaction of ethanol over a series of oxides (Fe
2O
3, Fe
2O
3/CaO, Fe
3O
4, TiO
2, CaO, and SiO
2) has been investigated. The main reaction product in all cases is acetaldehyde, with secondary products acetone and ethyl acetate. At 473 K, the rate constant k decreases according to the series Fe
2O
3>Fe
3O
4>CaO>TiO
2≫SiO
2. Titration of basic sites by CO
2 adsorption at room temperature shows that the reaction rate can be successfully normalised by basic site density for oxides that adsorb CO
2 except for CaO. Acetone production, presumably via acetate ketonization, is highest over TiO
2 while ethyl acetate formation, by Tishchenko reaction, is highest over Fe
2O
3.