Pd/polyaniline as the catalysts for 2 ethylanthraquinone hydrogenation. The effect of palladium dispersion.

By doping of polyaniline (PANI) in PdCl₂ aqueous and ethanol solutions the catalysts containing crystalline and colloidal Pd particles of different sizes were prepared. The size of palladium particles present in Pd/PANI catalysts (characterised by SEM and XRD methods) influenced the course of 2 ethylanthraquinone (eAQ) hydrogenation, a key step in the industrial production of H₂O₂. The presence of large palladium particles promotes reactions leading to the formation of the so termed “degradation products” not capable of hydrogen peroxide formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]