Preparation of Colloidal Rhodium in Poly(vinyl Alcohol) by Reduction with Methanol

Refluxing of a solution of poly(vinyl alcohol) and rhodium(III) chloride in methanol-water gives a colloidal dispersion of rhodium which is an effective catalyst for hydrogenation of cyclohexene in methanol at 30°C under atmospheric hydrogen pressure. Formaldehyde is produced quantitatively with the reduction of rhodium(III) chloride to metallic rhodium. The rhodium particles in the colloidal dispersion are found to consist of two kinds of particles, about 8 and 40 Å in diameter by electron microscopy. The sizes of the small (8 Å) and large (40 Å) particles are almost constant during the course of refluxing. The number of small particles, which is the great majority of particles at the early stage of refluxing, gradually decreases; concurrently the number of large particle increases on prolonged refluxing. An absorption peak appears at 260 nm at the early stage of refluxing. The presence of the 260 nm peak, which indicates the coordination of poly(vinyl alcohol) to rhodium(III) ion, is indispensable for the formation of a homogeneous colloidal dispersion of rhodium. The addition of ethylenediamine inhibits the formation of colloidal rhodium in refluxing. The catalytic activity of colloidal dispersion of rhodium is dependent upon the concentration of rhodium(III) chloride charged and is independent of that of poly(vinyl alcohol). The formation mechanism of colloidal rhodium is discussed.