Acetylene hydrochlorination over supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) gold-based catalyst: Stabilization of cationic Au species via chemical activation of hydrogen chloride and corresponding mechanisms

Abstract The activation of HCl by cationic Au in the presence of C2H2 is important for the construction of active Au sites and in acetylene hydrochlorination. Here, we report a strategy for activating HCl by the Au-based supported ionic liquid phase (Au–SILP) technology with the [N(CN)2−] anion. This strategy enables HCl to accept electrons from [N(CN)2−] anions in Au–[N(CN)2−] complexes rather than from pure [Bmim][N(CN)2], leading to notable improvement in both the reaction path and the stability of the catalyst without changing the reaction triggered by acetylene adsorption. Furthermore, the induction period of the Au–SILP catalyst was shown to be absent in the reaction process due to the high Au(III) content in the Au(III)/Au(I) site and the high substrate diffusion rate in the ionic liquid layer. This work provides a facile method to improve the stability of Au-based catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination.