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The article presents a study about the non-oxidative coupling reaction of methane to ethane and hydrogen catalyzed by the silica-supported tantalum hydride. A reaction is postulated via C-H bond activation of methane leading to surface tantalum-methyl species with molecular hydrogen. Results to this bonding are discussed further.

Silica-supported tantalum hydride, (SiO)2Ta-H (1), proves to be the first single-site catalyst for the direct non-oxidative coupling transformation of methane into ethane and hydrogen at moderate temperatures, with a high selectivity (>98%). The reaction likely involves the tantalum-methyl-methylidene species as a key intermediate, where the methyl ligand can migrate onto the tantalum-methylidene affording the tantalum-ethyl.