Wheat flour-derived N-doped mesoporous carbon extrudes as an efficient support for Au catalyst in acetylene hydrochlorination

Abstract We recently reported an N-doped mesoporous carbon (N-MC) extrudate, with major quaternary N species, prepared by a cheap and convenient method through direct carbonization of wheat flour with silica, which has excellent catalytic performance in acetylene hydrochlorination. Herein, we examined the activity of Au supported on N-MC (Au/N-MC) and compared it with that of Au supported on nitrogen-free mesoporous carbon (Au/MC). The acetylene conversion of Au/N-MC was 50% at 180 °C with an acetylene space velocity of 600 h −1 and V HCl / V C2H2 of 1.1, which was double the activity of Au/MC (25%). The introduced nitrogen atoms acted as anchor sites that stabilized the Au 3+ species and inhibited the reduction of Au 3+ to Au 0 during the preparation of Au/N-MC catalysts.