Chain Growth and Iron Nitrides in the Fischer—Tropsch Synthesis

Developments in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis at the Bureau of Mines from 1945 to 1960 include a simple mechanism for chain growth and the use of iron nitrides as catalysts. The chain-growth schene can predict the carbon-number and isomer distributions for products from most catalysts with reasonable accuracy using only 2 adjustable parameters. Iron nitrides are active, durable catalysts that produce high yields of alcohols and no wax. During the synthesis, the nitrides are converted to carbonitrides.