The Guerbet Reaction of Ethanol to Butanol on Solid Oxide Catalysts

An isotopic transient method was used to measure the TOF for ethanol coupling to butanol and the coverage of intermediates on MgO at 673 K.  The influence of adding ZrO₂ to MgO on C-C bond forming reactions was also explored.  Results from acid-base characterization are used to explain reactivity trends.