title: A non-syn-gas catalytic route to methanol production.
abstract: Methanol is an important platform molecule for chemical synthesis and its high energy density also renders it a good candidate as a cleaner transportation fuel. At present, methanol is manufactured from natural gas via the indirect syn-gas route. Here we show that ethylene glycol, a versatile chemical derived from biomass or fossil fuels, can be directly converted to methanol in hydrogen with high selectivity over a Pd/Fe(2)O(3) co-precipitated catalyst. This opens up a possibility for diversification in natural resources for energy-starved countries. The working catalyst contains extremely small 'PdFe' clusters and metal adatoms on defective iron oxide to give the required metal-support interaction for the novel synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Catalysis Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK.
authors.forename: Cheng-Tar
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kai Man Kerry
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Fenglin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nellist
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dent
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kroner
authors.forename: Shik Chi Edman
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Tsang