Abstract:
A method for selectively oxygenating methane to carbon monoxide and hydrogen by bringing the reactant gas mixture at a temperature of at least 600° C. into contact with a sold catalyst which is either: 
     a) a catalyst of the formula M x  M&#39; y  O z  where: 
     M is at least one element selected from Mg, B, Al, Ln, Ga, Si, Ti, Zr and Hf, 
     Ln is at least one member of lanthanum and the lanthanide series of elements, 
     M&#39;is a d-block transition metal, 
     and each of the ratios x/z and y/z and (x+y)/z is independently from 0.1 to 8; or 
     b) an oxide of a d-block transition metal; or 
     c) a d-block transition metal on a refractory support; or 
     d) a catalyst formed by heating a) or b) under the conditions of the reaction or under non-oxidizing conditions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The diminishing reserves of petroleum oil have focused attention on the need to find alternative sources of carbonaceous materials and stimulated considerable interest in the possibility of making more effective use of the world&#39;s vast reserves of natural gas. At the present time, only a minor fraction of the available methane is being utilized. In the U.K., for example, it is used both as a fuel and as a feedstock, via steam reforming to synthesis gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen), for methanol and ammonia synthesis, but in many parts of the world the collection and distribution of methane are uneconomical and it is burnt in situ to form carbon dioxide and water. 
     There are several known reactions for the oxygenation of methane. 
     
         CH.sub.4 +O.sub.2 →CH.sub.3 OH 
    
     
         CH.sub.4 +1/2O.sub.2 →CO+H.sub.2 
    
     
         CH.sub.4 +O.sub.2 →CH.sub.2 O+H.sub.2 O 
    
     
         CH.sub.4 +O.sub.2 →C.sub.2 H.sub.4 +C.sub.2 H.sub.6 +CO.sub.2 +CO+H.sub.2 O 
    
     
         CH.sub.4 +O.sub.2 →CO.sub.2 +H.sub.2 O 
    
     Different catalysts promote these reactions to different extents, but selectivity is normally poor. This patent application results from our discovery of a class of catalysts that is capable of selectively oxygenating methane to carbon monoxide and hydrogen. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Recently, attempts to convert methane directly into more valuable chemicals have focused on oxidative coupling reactions to yield ethylene and ethane: Keller, G. E. &amp; Bhasin, M. M., J. Catal. 73, 9-19 (1982); Hutchings, G. J., Scurell M. S. &amp; Woodhouse, J. R., Chem. Soc. Rev. 18, 251-283 (1989); and Ashcroft, A. T., Cheetham, A. K., Green, M. L. H., Grey, C. P. &amp; Vernon, P. D. F., J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 21, 1667-1669 (1989), and direct oxygenation to methanol and formaldehyde: Gesser, H. D., Hunter, N. R. &amp; Prakash, C. B., Chem. Rev. 85, 235-244 (1985); and Spencer, N. D. &amp; Pereira, C. J., J. Catal. 116, 399-406 (1989). Unfortunately, under conditions where the reactions of methane are fast enough to be of interest (typically&gt;700° C.), the formation of CO 2  is so favorable (ΔG←800 kJ/mol) that partial oxidation to more useful products is difficult to achieve on an economical scale. The non-catalytic, gas-phase partial oxidation of methane to synthesis is an established industrial process (e.g., Shell, Texaco: &#34;Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology&#34;, Ed. Kirk. R. E. and Othmer, D. F. 3rd Edition, Wiley Interscience, N.Y., Vol. 12, 952 (1980)), but operates at very high temperatures (&gt;1200° C.). Synthesis gas mixtures are also formed in two step catalyzed reactions using mixtures of methane, water and oxygen which operate at elevated pressures and temperatures in excess of 1000° C., Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, lbid. This patent application results from our discovery of catalysts that are capable of selectively oxygenating methane to carbon monoxide and hydrogen so that the reaction can be carried out catalytically and at a substantially lower temperature (˜775° C.). The significance of this result lies in the fact that synthesis gas is a well established feedstock for the synthesis of higher hydrocarbons, alcohols and aldehydes, for example in Fischer-Tropsch catalysis, for example, Henrici-Olive, G. &amp; Olive, S., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Eng. 15, 136-141 (1976), thus facilitating efficient two-step processes for the conversion of methane to such materials. Equally, one possible application for synthesis gas produced at low pressures, is for use in fuel cell technology. 
     The overall reaction which is catalyzed is: 
     
         CH.sub.4 +1/2O.sub.2 →CO+2H.sub.2 
    
     and this reaction is often described as the partial oxidation of methane. 
     As noted above, synthesis gas can be made by a number of methods, most of which involve the steam reforming of hydrocarbons or coal, &#34;Catalysis in C 1  Chemistry&#34;, Ed. Keim., W., D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, (1983). Methane, for example, can be converted over a nickel/alumina catalyst, Rostrup-Nielsen, J. R. in &#34;Catalysis, Science &amp; Technology, Vol. 5&#34; (ed. Anderson, J. R. &amp; Boudart, M., Springer, Berlin (1984) and Topp-Jorgensen, J., in &#34;Methane Conversion&#34; (ed. Bibby, D. M., Chang. C. D., Howe, R. F., and Yurchak, S.) Elsevier, p.293(1988), at 700°-800° C., according to: 
     
         CH.sub.4 +H.sub.2 O→CO=H.sub.2 
    
     This reaction is an important source of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, but it is highly endothermic, and leads in addition to the formation of carbon dioxide via the water-gas shift equilibrium: CO+H 2  O→CO 2  +H 2 . The partial oxidation reaction, by contrast, is mildly exothermic, more selective, and yields an H 2  /CO ratio that is lower than that obtained by steam reforming. This lower ratio may be highly desirable for certain applications of synthesis gas. Indeed, secondary reformers using CO 2  or O 2  oxidants are frequently required to reduce the hydrogen content of synthesis gas made by steam reforming. 
     In FR 1595993, Chimigaz, there is described a method for the catalytic partial oxidation of methane to carbon monoxide plus hydrogen But the temperatures of 1000°-1200° C. were so high as to be uneconomic. 
     In EPA 303 438, Davy McKee Corporation, there is described a catalytic partial oxidation process for converting a hydrocarbon feedstock to synthesis gas. The process described uses steam in addition to oxygen and runs at temperatures of 870° C. to 1040° C. and a pressure of about 2760 kPa. Even under optimum conditions, conversion of methane to a product consisting essentially of hydrogen plus carbon monoxide in the substantial absence of steam and carbon dioxide is not achieved, i.e. the (H 2  +CO) selectivity of the system is not very good. At lower temperatures and pressures, particularly when using low concentrations of steam, methane conversion and (H 2  +CO) selectivity fall off and the catalyst becomes poisoned by carbon deposition. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     We have discovered that it is possible to effect the catalytic partial oxidation of methane under relatively mild conditions of temperature (650°-900° C.) and pressure (preferably 10-600 kPa i.e. 0.1-6 Atmospheres) to give a product consisting essentially of H 2  +CO (plus N 2  if air is used as the oxidant). The molar H 2  :H 2  0 and CO:CO 2  ratios in the product gas are both at least 8:1. This is achieved without the need to use steam; steam inevitably generates CO 2  and thus reduces the (H 2  +CO) selectivity of the system. 
     This invention results from our discovery of such catalysts. 
     The invention provides a method of converting a reactant gas mixture comprising methane and oxygen in a molar ratio of at least 1.7:1 into a product gas mixture comprising mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide and optionally H 2  O and CO 2  in which the H 2  :H 2  O ratio is at least 8:1 and the CO:CO 2  ratio is at least 8:1, which method comprises bringing the reactant gas mixture at a temperature of about 650° C. to 900° C. into contact with a solid catalyst which is either: 
     (a) a catalyst of the formula M x  M&#39; y  O z  where: 
     M is at least one element selected from Mg, B, Al, Ln, Ga, Si, Ti, Zr and Hf, 
     Ln is at least one member of lanthanum and the lanthanide series of elements, 
     M&#39; is a d-block transition metal, 
     and each of the ratios x/z and y/z and (x+y)/z is independently from 0.1 to 8; or 
     (b) an oxide of a d-block transition metal; or 
     (c) a d-block transition metal on a refractory support; or 
     (d) a catalyst formed by heating a) or b) under the conditions of the reaction or under non-oxidizing conditions. 
     Each of the ratios x/z and y/z and (x+y)/z is independently from 0.1 to 8, preferably from 0.2 to 1.0. This definition covers 
     simple metal oxides such as NiO and RuO 2   
     ternary mixed metal oxides such as Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  ; and 
     particles of metals such as Ni, Ru and Pd on solid oxide supports such as Al 2  O 3 , MgO, SiO 2  and Ln 2  O 3 . 
     Alteratively, these metal oxide systems may be catalyst precursors, from which the active catalyst is formed by heating under non-oxidizing conditions. For example, the catalyst precursor may decompose to yield the metal on the oxide support. 
     All these metal oxide systems may be crystalline, monophasic or polyphasic, they may be amorphous, they may be stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric; they may have defect structures. They may be solid solutions.- The values of x, y and z may be integral or non-integral. In the mixed metal oxides, the ratio of x to y is not critical and may for example be from 0.001 to 1000. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is an X-ray powder diffraction pattern of Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  catalyst with excess RuO 2  ; 
     FIG. 2 is an X-ray powder diffraction pattern of Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  catalyst with excess PrO x  ; 
     FIG. 3 is an x-ray powder diffraction pattern of Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  catalyst after 14 hours use; 
     FIG. 4a is MgKα XPS of as prepared Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  --low resolution; 
     FIG. 4b is MgKα XPS of used Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  --low resolution; 
     FIG. 5 is MgKα XPS of Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  --high resolution--Pr3d, RuM 4 .5, and CKLL peaks; and 
     FIG. 6 is MgKα XPS of Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  --high resolution--Ru3d and Cls peaks. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Some of the mixed metal oxide catalysts are members of a structural class known as pyrochlores (E. F. Bertant, F. Forrat and M. C. Montmory, Compt. Rend. (Paris) 249, 829 (1959)). 
     d-Block transition metals M&#39; are selected from those having atomic number 21-29, 40-47 and 72-79, the metals scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, and gold. Preferably M&#39; is selected from Fe, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt and particularly Ni and Ru. 
     Oxide catalyst precursors may be prepared in a number of ways. Typically for M 2  M&#39; 2  O 7 , an intimate mixture of two metal oxides in the required proportions is heated to a temperature and for a time sufficient to form a homogeneous phase. The heating temperature varies, depending on the nature of the metal oxides used; it is generally at least 250° C., and may be as high as 1400° C. It is possible simply to mix two or more preformed metal oxide powders. More sophisticated mixing techniques are well known in the ceramic processing field, and are likely to be effective in reducing the time and/or temperature required to achieve homogeneity. 
     Alternatively the metal oxides, or precursors thereof such as carbonates or nitrates, or organometallic derivatives or any thermally decomposable salts, can be precipitated onto a refractory solid which may itself be massive or particulate. One metal oxide or precursor may be precipitated onto the other. For example, Ru 3  (CO) 12  or Ru(η-indenyl) 2  in toluene may be precipitated onto a powdered metal oxide (e.g. PrO 2 ) or onto a high surface area form of metal oxides such as MgO, Al 2  O 3 , SiO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , or HfO 2 . After drying, the coated material is heated, generally in air or oxygen, typically at temperatures up to 450° C., but possibly lower or higher (as described in example 19). 
     The catalyst may need to be pre-activated by being heated under conditions which are non-oxidizing or perhaps even reducing. For this purpose, it may be sufficient to pass a reactant gas mixture comprising methane and oxygen over the catalyst, provided that the oxygen content is not too high. Alternatively, the catalyst may be heated, prior to use, in an inert gas such as nitrogen or helium, perhaps together with methane or oxygen, or in a reducing gas such as hydrogen or methane. The catalyst may have been formed by heating the mixed metal oxides, not in air or oxygen, but under non-oxidizing or reducing conditions. 
     In this specification, the usual terms hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen are used (rather than dihydrogen, dinitrogen and dioxygen) to refer to the dimer molecules generally encountered. 
     Into contact with this solid catalyst is brought a reactant gas mixture including methane and oxygen. The catalyst performs well in the absence of water, but the presence of traces or small quantities of water vapour in the reactant gases is not deleterious. Alternatively, water may be added in which case the reactions will include those normally associated with steam reforming. If water is present in the reactant gas mixture, it is preferably in a smaller molar proportion than oxygen. Water is preferably not added to the reactant gas mixture. The reactant gas mixture is preferably substantially free of water. 
     The reaction conditions, in particular temperature, are sufficient to effect conversion into a product gas mixture comprising mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The temperature may be about 650° to 900° C., particularly 700° to 800° C. As shown in examples 2, 6, and 7, the selectivity to products CO and H 2  is very dependent on temperature. Furthermore, the selectivity increases as the temperature increases. So that, though in all cases, all (&lt;99.5%) of the oxygen is consumed, the CO:CO 2  ratio will increase from ca. 1:20 at 650K (377° C.) to ca. 10:1 at 1050K (777° C.). Similarly the H 2  :H 2  O ratio will typically increase from ca. 1:4 to ca. 20:1 as the temperature is increased from 650° K. (377° C.) to 1050° K. (777° C.). 
     Reaction pressure is preferably up to about 5.0 MPa (50 Atm) paticularly about 10 to 600 kPa (0.1 to 6.0 Atm). The selectivity of the reaction decreases with increasing pressure. Flow rates are reported below in the examples in terms of gas hourly space velocity (GHSV). 
     The condition for the gas mixture at any point in the system must obviously be chosen to be non-explosive at the temperature and pressure conditions desired. As is well known in the field, this may be achieved by introducing oxygen into methane (optionally with an inert carrier such as nitrogen) at a rate comparable to its rate of reaction with the methane so that the proportion of unreacted oxygen never rises to a dangerous value. Alternatively and less preferably, methane may be carefully introduced into oxygen or an oxygen-rich carrier gas, at a rate to prevent a dangerous build-up of methane concentration. With these provisos, the overall molar ratio of methane to oxygen is preferably at least about 1.7, e.g. in the range from 1.7 to 2.3, depending on the pressure. A slight stoichiometric excess of methane (&gt;2:1 CH 4  :O 2 ) may improve selectively by depressing formation of carbon dioxide and water; a slight stoichiometric excess of oxygen may improve the overall percentage conversion of methane. The optimum ratio may be a balance between these conflicting requirements. 
     It may be convenient to use oxygen in the form of air. In that case, it appears that the nitrogen simply acts as a diluent. 
     It may be noted that ruthenium and nickel catalysts on refractory supports are used commercially for the steam reforming of methane. We presently believe that steam may be formed as a transient intermediate in the partial oxidation of methane according to our method. On this basis, we expect that supported metal catalysts which are effective for steam reforming methane will also be effective for the method of this invention. 
     In our hands, the catalysts appear to retain their activity for long periods of time. No diminution in catalyst activity has been observed in reactions lasting for thirty hours. However, as indicated by its X-ray diffraction pattern, the catalyst is not the same after use as it was before use. The nature of the change is not precisely known, but is believed to take place by a pre-activation step, which typically occurs during the first thirty minutes of use at temperatures ca. 1050° K. with an appropriate reactant gas mix. For example, XRD, AEM, XPS, and HRTEM spectroscopic studies were made on samples of the catalyst Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  both before and after use in the catalytic conversion. These data showed that after the catalytic reaction there were small particles of ruthenium metal on the surface of the mixed oxide support. We believe that these metal particles contain on their surface the active catalytic sites. The term catalyst is used herein to describe both the initial material placed in the reactor at the outset, and also the material(s) to which the initial material has been transformed as a consequence of pre-activation or of interaction with the reactant gas mixture. 
     Using the catalysts herein described, we have been able to achieve at least 90% and up to 98% conversion of methane to a product gas mixture in which the ratio H 2  :H 2  O was typically greater than 8:1 and often 20:1 or greater; and in which the ratio CO:CO 2  was typically at least 8:1. 
     It is probable that the metal particles contain the active catalytic sites in many of the other catalysts. 
     Reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, in which each of FIGS. 1 to 3 is an X-ray powder diffraction pattern of a catalyst of formula substantially Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  : 
     FIG. 1 shows the catalyst of example 2 before use, which contains a small stoichiometric excess of RuO 2 . 
     FIG. 2 shows the catalyst of example 3 before use, which contains a small excess of PrO 2 . 
     Although the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of the &#34;Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  &#34; catalysts of examples 2, 3 and 4 show the presence of only traces of phases other than the cubic phase attributed to the pure &#34;pyrochlore&#34; structure (pure Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7 ), quantitative measurements by analytical electron microscopy (AEM) show that a range of different oxide phases exist within the furnace product. 
     FIG. 3 shows the catalyst of example 3 after use for several hours, and, in particular, the formation of ruthenium metal. 
     We have carried out an XPS study of the catalyst &#34;PR 2  Ru 2  O 7  &#34;. The samples investigated were: sample A, &#34;Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  &#34; formed by heating PrO x  and RuO 2  at 900° C. for 100 h in air. Sample the material formed by heating the sample from A at 1050K in a flow of O 2 , N 2  and CH 4  under the conditions of example 2. Sample C, the material formed by heating sample B in pure O 2  (100 mbar) at 900K for 10 minutes. Sample D, the material formed by heating sample C in methane (100 mbar) at 900K for 10 minutes. Sample E, the material formed by heating sample D in methane (100 mbar) at 1100K for 10 minutes. Sample F, pure RuO 2  (Aldrich Chemical Co.) as used in the catalyst synthesis. Typical XPS data are shown in FIGS. 4-6 and Tables 17-19. 
     The examples showed the following properties of the surfaces of the samples A to E. 
     (i) Over a samplingd epth of about 20 Å the ratio Pr/Ru is approximately the same (i.e. 1.15 ) for all samples, Table 15. The anomalies in B and E arise fromthe extra C 1s peak, only present in these two, which overlaps, and thus artifically increases, the Ru 3d peak. Hopwever, for the samples B, C, and D, which have been reacted, the Pr/Ru ratio over the first 7 Å depth show enrichment of Ru, Table 16.Therefore enrichment of the surface in ruthenium occurs during the initiation of the catalyst. 
     (ii) The peaks assigned to the Ru in the surface of the catalyst samples which had been reacted with methane are all shifted to lower binding energies than for the sample A, Table 17. This suggests the ruthenium is in a lower oxidation state in the activated catalyst. The Ru 3d peak occurs as a well-resolved doublet which is characteristics for ruthenium metal, as opposed to RuO 2 . This suggests that ruthenium segregating to the surface during the reaction with methane has been reduced to the metal. The Ru peak of the sample C reacted with oxygen has the appearance analogous to that of RuO 2 . This surface layer layer can be reduced again to ruthenium metal by heating under methane, sample 
     The samples B and E which have been exposed to temperatures &gt;100K showed substantial surface cdoverage of FIGS. 5, 6. The binding energies for the carbon lie below those carbon bonded to oxygen and above those normally associated with carbide species. but are typical for a thick layer of graphite carbon. 
     EXAMPLES 
     All the examples were carried out using 50 mg of solid, powdered catalyst, lightly packed between &lt;20 mg of silica wool (MULTILAB) in a straight silica reaction tube of i.d. ca. 4 mm. The reaction tube (300 mm) was placed in the vertical tube furnace of a LABCON microreactor and connected to a supply of the gas reaction mixture. The reactant gases, methane (supplied by Union Carbide, Gas and Equipment Ltd.), dioxygen (supplied by Air Products) and dinitrogen (supplied by Air Products) were dried over molecular sieves and passed over the catalyst at a rate of 20-50 ml/min (GHSV of 4-7×10 4  hour  -1 ). The temperature of the reaction tube was raised from ambient to the required temperature (typically 1050K, unless oterhwist stated) over a period of 2 hours. The reaction products were monitored using an on-line Hewlett-Packard 5890A gas chromatography apparatus. Separation of all gases was obtained using Helium carrier gas through Porapak Q and 5 Å molecular sieve packed columns, and were detected using a Thermal Conductivity Detector, calibrated on site. In all cases, O 2  conversion was &gt;99.5%, and C, H, O, N mass balances were better than 96%. 
     The specific details are given below. 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     (Comparative) 
     Catalyst: RuO 2  (pure, Aldrich Chemical Company Ltd.) 
     
         ______________________________________Initial gas pressures ca.:               CH.sub.4                      217 torr               O.sub.2                      108 torr               N.sub.2                      435 torr______________________________________ 
    
     Total 760 torr=760 mm Hg=1 atm=0.1 MPa 
     GHSV=7×10 4  hour  -1   
     
                       TABLE 1______________________________________          Product Partial Pressures/torrTemp/K. CH.sub.4 converted                CO      CO.sub.2                              H.sub.2                                    H.sub.2 O______________________________________1050    60%          88      21    165   52Duration of reaction 4 h.______________________________________ 
    
     In this prior art method, 60% conversion of methane was achieved , with ratios of CO:CO 2  and H 2  :H 2  O below 5:1. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     The effect of variations of temperature on the conversion of methane and selectivity towards CO and H 2 . 
     Catalyst Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  (prepared from an intimate mixture of Pr 6  O 11  (0.290 g) and +6RuO 2  (0.223 g) in an open crucible for 100; hours at 900° C.). The X-ray powder diffration pattern, FIG. 1, shows slight excess of RuO 2  in the sample 
     
         ______________________________________Reactant gas partial pressures               N.sub.2                      434 mm Hgwere maintained at ca.:               CH.sub.4                      216 mm Hg               O.sub.2                      108 mm Hg______________________________________ 
    
     GHSV maintained at 7×10 4  hour -1   
     Runs in chronologicla order. 
     
                       TABLE 2______________________________________               Product gas partial pressuresTemp    CH.sub.4    mm HgK.      converted   H.sub.2                      CO      CO.sub.2                                   H.sub.2 O______________________________________ 975    48%         138     39     53   461000    55%         166     56     46   381020    78%         245    108     22   151030    82%         258    115     19   111040    84%         263    120     16   101050    87%         272    126     14    7______________________________________ 
    
     It is apparent from Table 2 that increasing the catalyst temperature increased the conversion of methane and also increased the CO:CO 2  and H 2  :H 2  O ratios in the product gas. 
     EXAMPLE 3 
     Catalyst preparation: 0.112 g RuO 2  and 0.155 g PrO 2  were intimately mixed in an agate mortar with pestle, and the resulting mixture transferred to can open porcelain crucible and heated in a Gallenkamp muffle furnace at 950° C. for 100 hours. 
     The black solid thus obtained was then put on an Aluminium plate in an X-ray powder diffractometer and its spectrum recorded, FIG. 2. 
     50 mg of the catalyst was then lightly packed between &lt;20 mg silica wool (Multilab) in a 4 mm i.d. vertical silica tube, held in a steel block heated to 1050K, CH 4  and O 2  (2:1) passed for 3 hours with poor selectivity and conversion. 
     Nitrogen was passed over the catalyst for 12 hours at this temperature, after which time the gas mixture was changed to a mixture of N 2 , CH 4  and O 2 . The products were analyzed after allowing ca. 30 minutes initiation time. 
     A GHSV of 4×10 4  hour -1  was used throughout these experiments, and the temperature was maintained at 1050K. 
     The combined partial pressures of the reaction mixture of gases one atmosphere throughout this experiment. 
     These experimental data given in Table 3 were carried out over a period of 30 hours, during which time no change in catalyst activity or selectivity was observable. An X-ray diffraction pattern of the catalyst after use is shown in FIG. 3. By comparison with FIG. 2, it appears that the catalyst has been significantly modified. 
     
                       TABLE 3______________________________________Effect of variation of partial pressures of the reactant gases.Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________427  227     110    2.15 90%     297  141  3    2394  248     118    2.10 91%     311  152  5    1409  236     115    2.06 93%     302  149  6    2424  225     111    2.03 94%     300  144  6    2433  216     110    1.96 95%     288  141  6    5433  213     114    1.86 96%     289  137  10   7438  204     118    1.72 98%     306  136  14   14 0   511     248    2.06 88%     474  228  15   .sup. 9.sup.+ 0   536     224    2.39 77%     452  222  8    11 0   587     173    3.39 56%     392  200  2    4______________________________________ .sup.+ This ran for 14 hours with no change in activity or selectivity. 
    
     The data in Table 3 shows that an increase in the proportion of oxygen relative to methane gives a greater overall conversion of methane, up from 88% to 98% or greater. However this is accompanied by a small reduction in selectivity as indicated by the increasing proportions of CO 2  and H 2  O in the products. In this stable, the CO:CO 2  ratios range from approximately 10 to 50; and the H 2  :H 2  O ratios range from approximately 20 to 150. 
     EXAMPLE 4 
     The same &#34;Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7  &#34; catalyst as used in Example 3 was tested at higher pressures. 
     Experiments at elevated pressures of reactant gases showed conversion and selectivities comparable to those found at 1 atm could be achieved. 
     
                       TABLE 4______________________________________To-                       CH.sub.4tal  Initial pressures    con- Product partial pressuresP    mm Hg         CH.sub.4                     ver- mm Hgbar  N.sub.2       CH.sub.4               O.sub.2                    O.sub.2                         ted  H.sub.2                                   CO   CO.sub.2                                             H.sub.2 O______________________________________1.0    0     571     189 3.02 64%   420  211  2    61.0    0     587     173 3.39 56%   392  200  2    420.0 3480    9650   2060 4.68 28%  3640 1750 457  61020.0 1080   12110   2000 6.04 23%  3820 1800 434  48220.0   0    12750   2440 5.22 26%  4160 1940 577  666______________________________________ 
    
     Lower CH 4  conversion reflects the excess of CH 4  over stoichiometry. Selectivities to CO and H 2  were slightly lower at 20 atm. A trace of C 2  products was observed. 
     EXAMPLE 5 
     Catalyst Gd 2  Ru 2  O 7 , prepared by heating Gd 2  O 3  + 2RuO 2  in a sealed evacuated silica tube at 100° C. for 100 hours. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern shows that the sample is solely the pure pyrochlore, Gd 2  Ru 2  O 7 . 
     
                       TABLE 5______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________421  229     110    2.07 92%     304  149  4    3422  226     111    2.03 93%     293  144  6    4425  222     113    1.97 94%     291  143  6    6423  222     115    1.93 95%     292  143  8    6 0   512     248    2.07 83%     451  221  18   21______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 6 
     The same Gd 2  Ru 2  O 7  catalyst as used in Example 5 was trested under conditions of variable temperature. The experiments are in chronological order. 
     
         ______________________________________The reactant gas partial pressures                CH.sub.4                       512 mm Hgwere kept constant at:                O.sub.2                       248 mm Hg              (CH.sub.4 /O.sub.2 = 2.07)______________________________________ 
    
     
                       TABLE 6______________________________________               Product partial pressuresTemp    CH.sub.4    mm HgK.      converted   H.sub.2                      CO     CO.sub.2                                  H.sub.2 O______________________________________1050    83%         451    221    18   21 900    57%         324    134    74   71 950    66%         376    169    51   501000    73%         412    193    36   36______________________________________ 
    
     This example shows how selectivity decreases as the temperature is lowered from 1050 K. 
     EXAMPLE 7 
     Catalyst Eu 2  Ru 2  O 7 , prepared by heating Eu 2  O 3  +2 RuO 2  in a sealed evacuated silica tube at 1000° C. for 100 hours. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern shows that the sample is mostly the pure pyrochlore, Eu 2  Ru 2  O 7 , but there are traces of other phases present. 
     The catalyst was tested under conditions of variable temperature. The runs are in chronological order. 
     
         ______________________________________The reactant gas partial pressures                CH.sub.4                       512 mm Hgwere kept constant at:                O.sub.2                       248 mm Hg              (CH.sub.4 /O.sub.2 = 2.07)______________________________________ 
    
     
                       TABLE 7______________________________________               Product partial pressuresTemp    CH.sub.4    mm HgK.      converted   H.sub.2                      CO     CO.sub.2                                  H.sub.2 O______________________________________1050    87%         466    229    12   141000    80%         434    214    25   261020    83%         449    222    20   211040    86%         463    227    15   151050    87%         467    230    13   13______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 8 
     A dispersion of Ruthenium on Alumina was prepared by supporting Ru(η 5  -C 9  H 7 ) 2  on predried Al 2  O 3 , using an incipient wetness technique with CH 2  Cl 2  solvent. The uniformly yellow solid was thenr educed under a stream of H 2  at 200° C. for 1 hour and at 800° C. for 4 hours. 
     
                       TABLE 8______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________389  254     117    2.17 89%     311  155  3    2391  247     122    2.02 93%     312  154  6    4 0   512     248    2.06 87%     467  229  12   16______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 9 
     Englehard E catalyst (4871), was tested as received from Englehard. The catalyst is 0.5% Ruthenium on Alumina pellets. The pellets are cylindrical, ca. 3.5 mm high and ca. 3.5 mm diameter. 20 such pellets were loaded into a silica tube of ca. 8 mm i.d. (packed at either end with silica wool), which was then heated to ca. 1050K (±15K), and connected to a gas stream of the appropriate reactant gases. The GHSV was maintained at ca. 10 4  hour -1  (±20%). 
     
                       TABLE 9______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________418  240     101    2.37 78%     271  133  4    7424  234     102    2.29 79%     266  130  6    9426  226     108    2.09 86%     274  134  9    9287  321     152    2.11 86%     348  172  10   9 0   634     126    5.02 37%     314  162  3    7 0   508     252    2.01 83%     448  197  23   27______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 10 
     A 1% by weight loading of Ruthenium on Alumina was prepared 0.500 g F20 Alumina (Phase Sep), 80-100 mesh, was predried in a muffle furnace at 200° C. for 12 hours and 800° C. for 24 hours. 0.010 g anhydrous Ruthenium trichloride was dissolved in the minimum amount of methanol, prepdried over magnesium turnings. Aliquots of the solution were added to the alumina under a dry nitrogen atmosphere, each time until the alumina was just &#34;wet&#34;, then the solvent was removed under reduced pressure at room temperature. In this way, a completely uniform dispersion of RuCl 3  on Al 2  O 3  was obtained. The solid was then transferred under dry nitrogen into a silica tube, which was then attached to a hydrogen supply, and the solid treated under a hydrogen stream at 400° C. for 14 hours, and at 800° C. for 4 hours. The chlorine content of the catalyst was tested by microanalysis, and it was found that the Ruthenium was only partly reduced, since there is some 0.5% residual chlorine. 
     
                       TABLE 10______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________433  222     104    2.13 91%     286  142  3    2421  229     110    2.09 92%     295  146  3    3428  223     109    2.04 94%     294  145  4    3432  217     110    1.97 95%     290  143  6    4 0   512     248    2.07 88%     473  233  11   12 0   514     250    2.04 89%     474  232  12    12.sup.______________________________________ .sup. This runs for 24 hours, with no noticeable change in methane conversion or product selectivity. 
    
     EXAMPLE 11 
     A 0.1% by weight loading of Ruthenium on Alumina was prepared: 
     1.50 g F20 Alumina (Phase Sep)80-100 mesh was dried in a muffle furnace for 12 hours at 200° C. and for 24 hours at 800° C. 0.003 g anhydrous RuCl 3  was added to the alumina under dry nitrogen, dissolved in the minimum volume of dry methanol to just &#34;wet&#34; the alumina completely. The methanol was then removed under reduced pressure at room temperature. The uniform dispersion thus produced was then reduced under a steady hydrogen stream for 14 hours at 400° C. and for 10 hours at 800° C. The chlorine content of the catalyst was tested by microanlysis and it was found that almost all of the chlorine still remains in the catalyst. This is reflected in the results of passing the N 2  CH 4  O 2  gas mixture over the catalyst, as the results are far from steady state. 
     A gas mixture containing 391 torr N 2 , 251 torr CH 4  and 118 torr O 2  (CH 4  /O 2  =2.12) was passed over the catalyst at 1050K, and 20 ml/min (GHSV=ca. 2×10 4  hour -1 ). 
     
                       TABLE 11______________________________________              Product partial pressuresTime   % CH.sub.4  mm Hghour   converted   H.sub.2                     CO      CO.sub.2                                  H.sub.2 O______________________________________ 1     34           55    28      52   95 4     42          110    53      43   7211     52          162    79      34   5515     59          190    94      29   4219     64          214    105     24   3524     67          227    110     22   3126     69          232    115     19   30______________________________________ 
    
     The catalyst improves over the first 26 hours on stream. In general, this is clearly a much less efficient catalyst than any previously tested. This suggests that there may be an insufficient amount of Ruthenium for formation of an active and selective catalyst. 
     EXAMPLE 12 
     A 1% by weight loading Rhodium on Alumina was prepared, as in experiment 10, except with RhCl 3  instead of RuCl 3 . Microanalysis showed that there was some 0.8% residual chlorine. 
     
                       TABLE 12______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________450  210     100    2.09 92%     273  139  4    4428  223     109    2.04 94%     287  140  5    5______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 13 
     A 1% by weight loading of Palladium on Alumina was prepared, as in experiment 10, with a few differences. The PdCl 2  used was obtained from Johnson Matthey Plc, and was not pure, but was supplied with an accurate metal assay of 59.87% Pd. 0.017 g of this was dissolved in the minimum volume of concentrated HCl, and added, via an incipient wetness technique, to 1.00 g of predried alumina. This was then treated under flowing hydrogen as before. 
     
                       TABLE 13______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________435  221     104    2.13 90%     274  143  4    2442  213     105    2.03 92%     269  140  6    4432  219     109    2.01 93%     277  144  6    5______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 14 
     A commercial Nickel-based steam reforming catalyst (CRG&#39;F&#39;, approximate elemental composition Ni 6  Al 2  O 9 ) was obtained from the London Research Station, British Gas Plc. The pellets were crushed to a powder in an agate mortar with pestle, in air. 
     
                       TABLE 14______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________420  229     111    2.07 93%     290  149  5    4437  213     110    1.93 96%     277  143  8    6 0   516     244    2.11 88%     475  234  9    .sup. 9.sup.______________________________________ .sup. This was run for 16 hours with no detectable loss of activity or selectivity. 
    
     EXAMPLE 15 
     Catalyst La 2  MgPtO 6 , prepared by heating La 2  O 3 , MgO and PtO 2  in air at 1473K for 200 hours. The catalyst has a perovskite structure as checked by powder X-ray diffraction. The catalyst performance gradually improved up to 20 hours under the flowing reqctant gas mixture, when the following data was taken. 
     
                       TABLE 15______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________423  225     112    2.02 80%     241  125  15   18______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 16 
     Catalyst NiO (BDH Chemicals Ltd.), calcined in air at 1150K for 50 hours. 
     
                       TABLE 16______________________________________Reactant gas partial         Product gas partialpressures mm Hg       CH.sub.4              CH.sub.4  pressures mm HgN.sub.2CH.sub.4        O.sub.2               O.sub.2                    converted                            H.sub.2                                 CO   CO.sub.2                                           H.sub.2 O______________________________________442  218     100    2.18 72%     212  110  16   18______________________________________ 
    
     
                       TABLE 17______________________________________XPS Pr 4d/Ru 3d peak height ratios, see FIG. 4      Sample   Pr/Ru______________________________________A            as prepared                   1.16B            catalytic  3.83C            O.sub.2 /900 K.                   1.14D            CH.sub.4 /900 K.                   1.15E            CH.sub.4 /1100 K.                   1.36______________________________________ 
    
     
                       TABLE 18______________________________________XPS Ru M.sub.4,5 VV/Pr 3d 5/2 peak height ratios, see FIG. 5           Height (Ru M.sub.4,5 VV)/  Sample   height (Pr 3d 5/2)______________________________________A        As prepared               0.12C        O.sub.2 /900 K.               0.22D        CH.sub.4 /900 K.               0.24______________________________________ 
    
     
                       TABLE 19______________________________________XPS Peak energy shifts (eV), see FIGS. 5, 6Sample      Ru 3d    Ru 3p    Pr 4d  O 1s______________________________________F    RuO.sub.2  280.8    462.8  --     529.7A    As prepared           +0.9     +0.8   116    -0.5/+1.1B    catalytic  -0.9     -1.2   0      +1.7C    O.sub.2 /900 K.           -0.5     0      0      -0.1/+1.5D    CH.sub.4 /900 K.           -0.9     -1.3   +0.1   -0.6/+2.0E    CH.sub.4 /1100 K.           -0.9     -1.5   +0.3   +0.1______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 17 
     Table 20 showing that a number of different supported metals and mixed metal oxides are efficient catalysts for the partial oxidation reaction. Gas feed, CH 4  :O 2  :N 2  =2:1:4. GHSV=4×10 4  hour -1 . Temp=1050K. 
     
         ______________________________________     % Methane % CH.sub.4 converted toCatalyst    converted   CO       H.sub.2______________________________________1% Ru/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3       94          97       991% Rh/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3       94          97       991% Pd/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3       93          96       981% Pt/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3       95          96       99Ni/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3.sup.       94          97       99Pr.sub.2 Ru.sub.2 O.sub.7       94          97       99Eu.sub.2 Ir.sub.2 O.sub.7       94          96       98La.sub.2 MgPtO.sub.6       80          89       93______________________________________ .sup. CRG `F` steam reforming catalyst, ex. British Gas 
    
     EXAMPLE 18 
     Table 21, showing how the methane conversion and selectivity to partial oxidation products vary with methane:oxygen ratio. 
     Gas feed contains approx. 57% N 2  diluent. GHSV=4×10 4  hour -1 . Temp=1050K. Catalyst=Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7 . 
     
         ______________________________________    % Methane  % CH.sub.4 converted toCH.sub.4 /O.sub.2 ratio      converted    CO       H.sub.2______________________________________1.72       98           91       961.86       96           93       981.96       95           96       982.00       94           97       992.06       93           97       992.10       91           97       1002.15       90           98       100______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 19 
     Table 22, showing how the methane conversion and selectivity to partial oxidation products vary with reaction pressure. 
     No N 2  diluent. GHSV=4×10 4  hour -1 . Temp=1050K. Catalyst=Dy 2  Ru 2  O 7   
     
         ______________________________________Pressure           % Methane % CH.sub.4 converted toatm.    CH.sub.4 /O.sub.2 ratio              converted CO      H.sub.2______________________________________ 1      3.4        56        99      100 5      3.8        39        91      9110      4.1        38        90      9015      4.5        33        86      8820      4.5        30        85      88______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 20 
     Table 23, showing how the methane conversion and selectivity to partial oxidation products vary with reaction temperature. 
     Gas feed, CH 4  :O 2  :N 2  =2:1:0. GHSV=4×10 4  hour -1 . Catalyst=Yb 2  Ru 2  O 7   
     
         ______________________________________Temperature      % Methane    % CH.sub.4 converted toK.         converted    CO       H.sub.2______________________________________1050       83           91       95900        53           59       79800        39           28       59700        31            8       33650        29            5       25______________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE 21 
     Table 24, showing how the methane conversion and selectivity to partial oxidation products vary with reaction gas space velocity. 
     Gas feed, CH 4  :O 2  :N 2  =2:1:0. Temp=1050K. Catalyst=Pr 2  Ru 2  O 7   
     
         ______________________________________GHSY     % Methane     % CH.sub.4 converted tohour     converted     CO       H.sub.2______________________________________6 × 10.sup.3    90            95       984 × 10.sup.4    88            93       976 × 10.sup.4    81            89       948 × 10.sup.4    73            82       902 × 10.sup.5    68            76       87______________________________________