Cu–Mg powders and ribbons: Characterization and catalytic tests reactions

Cu15Mg85 and Cu3Mg97 alloy powders, prepared by mechanical alloying of the constituent elements and Cu78Mg22 and Cu14.5Mg85.5 ribbons made by rapid quenching were characterized by physical methods (DSC, XRD, and XPS). Carbon and oxygen impurities and Mg (mainly as oxide) were detected by XPS of the as-received samples, and only the Cu78Mg22 ribbon was shown to have copper on the surface. The powders, in turn, are the only samples possessing Cu0 measured by the N2O titration method. The catalytic properties of the specimens were tested in the dehydrogenation of 2-propanol and in the one-step synthesis of methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) from acetone. The Cu15Mg85 powder, is the only alloy exhibiting satisfactory catalytic performance: MIBK could be isolated in a yield of 35%. The data indicate that copper species determined by N2O titration are involved in the catalytic reactions.