The importance of mixed oxides in the catalytic behaviour of Sn or Zr doped Li/MgO-catalysts

Doping Li/MgO with Sn leads to an active, selective and stable catalyst. The formation of Li₂Mg₃SnO₆ seems to be responsible for the improved properties. Li₂Mg₃SnO₆ has a cubic structure like MgO. This paper shows that doping Li/MgO with Zr can result in the formation of various mixed oxides with different catalytic properties. The results indicate that Li₂CO₃ is essential to obtain a good selectivity and activity when Li₂MgZrO₄ is present in Li/Zr/MgO catalysts. When Li₂Mg₃ZrO₆ is present, without detectable amounts of Li₂CO₃, the activity and selectivity remain at a high level, resulting in relatively high yields, like the results for the Li₂Mg₃SnO₆ containing Li/Sn/MgO catalyst.