State of cobalt included in the layer structure of silica and effect of the structure of cobalt-containing sites on the catalytic activity in hydrogenation of CO

1. Isolated cobalt (II) ions in octa- and tetrahedral coordination environments are included in the structure of the matrix in application of dicobalt octacarbonyl on a matrix of layered silica. 2. The effect of hydrogen or synthesis gas on the cobalt (II) included in the matrix results in an increase in the concentration of cobalt in tetrahedral coordination, distortion of the octahedral structure of divalent cobalt, subsequent loss of ligands, and the formation of metallic cobalt.