Studies of the fischer‐tropsch synthesis on a colbalt catalyst. III. mechanistic formulation of the kinetics of selectivity for higher hydrocarbon formation

Mechanistic models are derived to quantify selectivity in the Fischer‐Tropsch synthesis. The models are fitted to experimental selectivity data obtained on a cobalt catalyst and are found to give a satisfactory fit. Results show that branching reactions can be explained by assuming a rate limiting 1‐2 hydrogen shift. For small molecules the 1‐2 shift takes place on one site, whereas larger molecules need an adjacent sit for the shift to take place. The “break” arises from the sum of two Anderson‐Schulz‐Flory distributions arising on two different locations.