Partial oxidation of propene on oxygen-covered Au(111)

Partial oxidation of propene is promoted by Au following deposition of atomic oxygen (0.3 ML) via O3 decomposition on Au(111) at 200 K. Several partial oxidation products--acrolein, acrylic acid, and carbon suboxide (O=C=C=C=O)-are produced in competition with combustion to CO2 and H2O. Acrolein is the primary partial oxidation product, and it is further oxidized to the other products by excess oxygen. We propose that acrolein is derived from allyloxy intermediate that is formed via insertion of oxygen into the allylic C-H bond. While no propene epoxide formation is detected from oxidation of C3H6, a small amount of epoxidation is observed during reaction of C3D6 and CD3CH=CH2. These results are strong indications that small changes in the energy required for allylic C-H activation, in this case due to a kinetic isotope effect, may dramatically change the selectivity; thus, small modifications of the properties of oxygen on Au may lead to the more desirable epoxidation process. Our results are discussed in the context of the origin of activity of Au-based catalysts.     

Selective oxidation of styrene on an oxygen-adsorbed Au(111): A density functional theory study

The reaction mechanism for the styrene selective oxidation on the oxygen preadsorbed Au(111) surface has been studied by the density functional theory calculation with the periodic slab model. The calculated results showed that the process of reaction includes two steps: forming the oxametallacycle intermediate (OMME) and then producing the products. It was found that the second step, from OMME to product is the rate-controlling step, which is similar to ethylene selective oxidation on Ag. Importantly, the present density-functional-theory calculation results suggested that the mechanism via the OMME (2) (i.e. the preadsorbed atomic oxygen bound to the CH2 group involved in C6H5--CH=CH2) to produce styrene epoxide is kinetically favored than that of OMME (1).     

Selective oxidation of styrene on an oxygen‐adsorbed Cu(111): A comparison with Au(111)

The reaction mechanism for the styrene selective oxidation on the oxygen preadsorbed Cu(111) surface has been studied by the density functional theory calculation with the periodic slab model. The calculated result indicated that the process includes two steps: forming the oxametallacycle intermediate (OMMS) and then producing the products. In addition, it was found that the second step, from OMMS to the product, is the rate‐controlling step, which is similar to the previous work of ethylene selective oxidation. The present result indicated that the selectivity towards the formation of styrene epoxide on Cu(111) is much higher than that on Au(111). More importantly, we found that the mechanism via the OMMS (2) (i.e., the preadsorbed atomic oxygen bound to the CH₂ group involved in C₆H₅? CH?CH₂) to produce styrene epoxide is kinetically favored than that of OMMS (1). We also found that the selectivity toward the styrene epoxide formation on Cu₂O is similar to that of Cu(111). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Water-enhanced low-temperature CO oxidation and isotope effects on atomic oxygen-covered Au(111)

Water-oxygen interactions and CO oxidation by water on the oxygen-precovered Au(111) surface were studied by using molecular beam scattering techniques, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Water thermally desorbs from the clean Au(111) surface with a peak temperature of approximately 155 K; however, on a surface with preadsorbed atomic oxygen, a second water desorption peak appears at approximately 175 K. DFT calculations suggest that hydroxyl formation and recombination are responsible for this higher temperature desorption feature. TPD spectra support this interpretation by showing oxygen scrambling between water and adsorbed oxygen adatoms upon heating the surface. In further support of these experimental findings, DFT calculations indicate rapid diffusion of surface hydroxyl groups at temperatures as low as 75 K. Regarding the oxidation of carbon monoxide, if a C (16)O beam impinges on a Au(111) surface covered with both atomic oxygen ( (16)O) and isotopically labeled water (H 2 (18)O), both C (16)O (16)O and C (16)O (18)O are produced, even at surface temperatures as low as 77 K. Similar experiments performed by impinging a C (16)O beam on a Au(111) surface covered with isotopic oxygen ( (18)O) and deuterated water (D 2 (16)O) also produce both C (16)O (16)O and C (16)O (18)O but less than that produced by using (16)O and H 2 (18)O. These results unambiguously show the direct involvement and promoting role of water in CO oxidation on oxygen-covered Au(111) at low temperatures. On the basis of our experimental results and DFT calculations, we propose that water dissociates to form hydroxyls (OH and OD), and these hydroxyls react with CO to produce CO 2. Differences in water-oxygen interactions and oxygen scrambling were observed between (18)O/H 2 (16)O and (18)O/D 2 (16)O, the latter producing less scrambling. Similar differences were also observed in water reactivity toward CO oxidation, in which less CO 2 was produced with (16)O/D 2 (16)O than with (16)O/H 2 (16)O. These differences are likely due to primary kinetic isotope effects due to the differences in O-H and O-D bond energies.     

Transient hydroxyl formation from water on oxygen-covered Au(111)

We present evidence for the formation of transient hydroxyls from the reaction of water with atomic oxygen on Au(111) and investigate the effect of adsorbed oxygen on the hydrogen bonding of water. Water is evolved in peaks at 175 and 195 K in temperature programed reaction experiments following adsorption of water on oxygen-covered Au(111). The peak at 175 K is ascribed to sublimation of multilayers of water, whereas the peak at 195 K is associated with oxygen-stabilized water or a water-hydroxyl surface complex. Infrared reflection absorption spectra are consistent with the presence of molecular water over the entire range of coverages studied, indicating that isolated stable hydroxyls are not formed. Isotopic exchange of adsorbed (16)O with H(2)(18)O following adsorption and subsequent temperature programed reaction, however, indicates that transient OH species are formed. The extent of oxygen exchange was considerable--up to 70%. The degree of oxygen exchange depends on the initial coverage of oxygen, the surface temperature when preparing oxygen adatoms, and the H(2)(18)O coverage. The hydroxyls are short-lived, forming and disproportionating multiple times before water desorption during temperature programed reaction. It was also found that chemisorbed oxygen is critical in the formation of hydroxyls and stabilizing water, whereas gold oxide does not contribute to these effects. These results identify transient hydroxyls as species that could play a critical role in oxidative chemical reactions on gold, especially in ambient water vapor. The crystallinity of adsorbed water also depended on the degree of surface ordering and chemical modification based on scanning tunneling microscopy and infrared spectra. These results demonstrate that oxidation of interfaces has a major impact on their interaction with water.     

Selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen on atomic oxygen precovered Au(111)

We demonstrate ammonia oxidation promoted by an atomic oxygen precovered Au(111) surface. The selectivity of the catalytic oxidation of ammonia to NO or N2 on Au(111) is tunable by the atomic oxygen coverage. We propose that N2 and NO are produced via the recombination reactions of Nad + Nad and Nad + Oad.     

Au(111)面上肉桂醛的选择性加氢机理

采用密度泛函理论并结合周期性平板模型的方法,优化了肉桂醛在Au(111)面上的吸附模型,并详细探讨了肉桂醛在Au(111)面上选择性加氢的反应机理(C=O,C=C以及1,4共轭加成机理).计算结果表明,肉桂醛以C=O和C=C协同吸附于Au(111)面上时,吸附构型最稳定.此时,不同吸附模式的吸附能平均在140.0kJ?mol-1.通过搜索不同机理下每个基元反应的过渡态,得出肉桂醛在Au(111)面上最可能的选择性加氢产物为苯丙醛,且其按照1,4共轭加成机理间接得到苯丙醛比C=C直接加氢机理具有更低的活化能.具体反应过程为:肉桂醛C=O的O优先加H形成烯丙基型中间体,继而该中间体中与苯环相连的C原子继续加H形成烯醇(ENOL),最终烯醇异构成苯丙醛.其中ENOL的生成过程所需的活化能最高,是反应的控速步骤.     

Au(111)面上肉桂醛的选择性加氢机理

采用密度泛函理论并结合周期性平板模型的方法,优化了肉桂醛在Au（111）面上的吸附模型,并详细探讨了肉桂醛在Au（111）面上选择性加氢的反应机理（C=O,C=C以及1,4 共轭加成机理）. 计算结果表明,肉桂醛以C=O和C=C协同吸附于Au（111）面上时,吸附构型最稳定. 此时,不同吸附模式的吸附能平均在140.0kJ·mol^-1. 通过搜索不同机理下每个基元反应的过渡态,得出肉桂醛在Au（111）面上最可能的选择性加氢产物为苯丙醛,且其按照1,4 共轭加成机理间接得到苯丙醛比C=C直接加氢机理具有更低的活化能. 具体反应过程为：肉桂醛C=O的O优先加H形成烯丙基型中间体,继而该中间体中与苯环相连的C原子继续加H形成烯醇（ENOL）,最终烯醇异构成苯丙醛. 其中ENOL的生成过程所需的活化能最高,是反应的控速步骤.     

Efficient CO oxidation at low temperature on Au(111)

The rate of CO oxidation to CO2 depends strongly on the reaction temperature and characteristics of the oxygen overlayer on Au(111). The factors that contribute to the temperature dependence in the oxidation rate are (1) the residence time of CO on the surface, (2) the island size containing Au-O complexes, and (3) the local properties, including the degree of order of the oxygen layer. Three different types of oxygen--defined as chemisorbed oxygen, a surface oxide, and a bulk oxide--are identified and shown to have different reactivity. The relative populations of the various oxygen species depend on the preparation temperature and the oxygen coverage. The highest rate of CO oxidation was observed for an initial oxygen coverage of 0.5 monolayers that was deposited at 200 K where the density of chemisorbed oxygen is maximized. The rate decreases when two-dimensional islands of the surface oxide are populated and further decreases when three-dimensional bulk gold oxide forms. Our results are significant for designing catalytic processes that use Au for CO oxidation, because they suggest that the most efficient oxidation of CO occurs at low temperature--even below room temperature--as long as oxygen could be adsorbed on the surface.     

巴豆醛在Au(111)面上的吸附及选择性加氢机理研究

采用密度泛函理论计算了巴豆醛4种构型的稳定性,并选取最优构型进一步研究了其Au(111)面上的吸附及选择性加氢机理.计算结果表明,具有E-(s)-trans构型的巴豆醛稳定性最高.当巴豆醛通过C O吸附于Au(111)面的顶位时,该构型吸附能最大,吸附模型最稳定;巴豆醛向Au(111)表面转移电子0.045e,且其p轨道与金属表面的d轨道发生较强相互作用,使得巴豆醛的键级减弱.此外,通过分析各基元反应的活化能、反应热以及构型变化可知,巴豆醛在Au(111)面上按照2,1-加成机理(部分加氢机理)生成巴豆醇的可能性最大,且降低温度有利于反应转化率的提高.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid and methanol on Pt deposits on Au(111)

This work presents characteristics of Pt deposits on Au(111) obtained by the use of spontaneous deposition and investigated by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). On such prepared and STM characterized Au(111)/Pt surfaces, we studied electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid and methanol. We show that the first monatomic layer of Pt displays a (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees surface structure, while the second layer is (1 x 1). After prolonged deposition, multilayer Pt deposits are formed selectively on Au(111) surface steps and are 1-20 nm wide and one to five layers thick. On the optimized Au(111)/Pt surface, formic acid oxidation rates are enhanced by a factor of 20 compared to those of pure Pt(111). The (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees-Pt yields very low methanol oxidation rates, but the rates increase significantly with further Pt growth.     

CO adsorption and reaction on clean and oxygen-covered Au(211) surfaces

We have used primarily temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) to investigate CO adsorption on a Au(211) stepped single-crystal surface. The Au(211) surface can be described as a step-terrace structure consisting of three-atom-wide terraces of (111) orientation and a monatomic step with a (100) orientation, or 3(111) x (100) in microfacet notation. CO was only weakly adsorbed but was more strongly bound at step sites (12 kcal mol(-1)) than at terrace sites (6.5-9 kcal mol(-1)). The sticking coefficient of CO on the Au(211) surface was also higher ( approximately 5x) during occupation of step sites compared to populating terrace sites at higher coverages. The nu(CO) stretching band energy in IRAS spectra indicated that CO was adsorbed at atop sites at all coverages and conditions. A small red shift of nu(CO) from 2126 to 2112 cm(-1) occurred with increasing CO coverage on the surface. We conclude that the presence of these particular step sites at the Au(211) surface imparts stronger CO bonding and a higher reactivity than on the flat Au(111) surface, but these changes are not remarkable compared to chemistry on other more reactive crystal planes or other stepped Au surfaces. Thus, it is unlikely that the presence or absence of this particular crystal plane alone at the surface of supported Au nanoparticles has much to do with the remarkable properties of highly active Au catalysts.     

Selective oxidation of cyclohexanol and 2-cyclohexen-1-ol on O/Au(111): the effect of molecular structure

We combine reactivity studies with infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy to provide molecular-scale insights into the oxidation of two cyclic alcohols, cyclohexanol and 2-cyclohexen-1-ol, by atomic oxygen adsorbed on Au(111). The two alcohols share common features in their reaction pathways: they are both activated by Br?nsted acid-base reactions with adsorbed oxygen. Cyclic ketones, cyclohexanone and 2-cyclohexen-1-one, are the major products, formed from cyclohexanol and 2-cyclohexen-1-ol, respectively. These ketones also undergo secondary ring C-H bond activation. The product distributions reflect a substantial difference in the secondary reactions for these two ketones, which correlate with their gas-phase acidity. The allylic alcohol (2-cylohexen-1-ol) has a greater degree of ring C-H activation, yielding the diketone (2-cyclohexene-1,4-dione) and phenol. Our results provide clear evidence for the importance of C═C functionalities in determining the reactivity of molecules in heterogeneous oxidative transformations promoted on Au-based materials.     

Selective growth of Au nanoparticles on (111) facets of Cu2O microcrystals with an enhanced electrocatalytic property

The selective growth of Au nanoparticles on (111) facets of truncated octahedral and cuboctahedral Cu(2)O crystals has been achieved by exploiting the differences in the standard potential between AuCl(4)(-)/Au and Cu(2+)/Cu(2)O pairs and in surface energies between (111) and (100) planes. The density and size of Au nanoparticles can be controlled by tuning the concentration of the gold precursor. Truncated octahedral Cu(2)O-Au nanocomposites have a 10 times higher electrochemically catalytic activity toward H(2)O(2) reduction than do pure Cu(2)O crystals. The enhanced catalysis may be derived from the polarization of Au NPs at the interface, which makes Cu(2)O more active for H(2)O(2) reduction.     

Au(111)表面上乙醇选择性氧化反应机理的密度泛函理论研究(英文)

采用密度泛函理论研究了吸附有O原子的Au(111)表面上乙醇选择性氧化的反应机理.反应结果表明,除O原子和中间产物二齿醋酸根(CH3CHOO)外,其他中间产物在Au(111)表面扩散能垒均较低,不会对反应速控步骤的确定造成影响.乙醇羟基氧化脱氢为反应的第一步骤,当氧化剂为吸附态的O原子或者为OH基时,反应活化能分别为0.20和0.17eV.氧化产物乙氧基(CH3CH2O)进一步氧化脱氢生成乙醛则需要表面吸附的O原子或另一表面吸附的OH基的参与,所需活化能为0.29或0.27eV.同时,乙醛易与表面吸附的乙氧基反应生成乙氧基半缩醛(CH3CHOOC2H5),其可进一步与O原子作用,脱氢形成乙酸乙酯.此外,在乙醛深度氧化成酸的过程中需要克服较高的反应能垒,因而在表面反应温度较低时无法进行,这与实验结果相符.     

Spectroscopic investigation of the adsorption and oxidation of thiourea on polycrystalline Au and Au(111) in acidic media

In the present paper, a systematic electrochemical investigation on thiourea (TU) electrooxidation was developed on polycrystalline and (111) single-crystal gold electrodes in 0.1 M perchloric acid. The combination of cyclic voltammetry with in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS) and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry techniques have allowed the nature of the species formed during the electroadsorption and electrooxidation of TU to be established. FTIRS experiments were performed in D2O to clean up the region of the H2O bending around 1600 cm(-1). It was concluded that TU adsorbs tilted on the surface in the 0.05-0.40 VRHE potential range. A dual-path reaction mechanism was evidenced in the oxidation process. The first pathway takes place from adsorbed TU at E > 0.40 VRHE and implies the formation of [Au(I)-(TU)2]+, which is oxidized to NH2CN and S0 at E > 0.80 VRHE. In a following oxidation step at E > 1.20 V, N2, CO2, and HSO4-/SO4(2-) were produced. The second parallel reaction occurs from TU in solution at E > 0.50 VRHE to form (TU)2(2+). All these species were characterized from the spectroscopic experiments. Similar results were obtained for both surfaces.     

氧化锌有序结构在Au(111)和Cu(111)上的生长

利用NO₂或O₂作为氧化剂,研究了氧化锌在Au(111)和Cu(111)上的生长和结构。NO₂表现了更好的氧化性能,有利于有序氧化锌纳米结构或薄膜的生长。在Au(111)和Cu(111)这两个表面上,化学计量比氧化锌都形成非极性的平面化ZnO(0001)的表面结构。在Au(111)上,NO₂气氛下室温沉积锌倾向于形成双层氧化锌纳米结构;而在更高的沉积温度下,在NO₂气氛中沉积锌则可同时观测到单层和双层氧化锌纳米结构。O₂作为氧化剂时可导致形成亚化学计量比的ZnO_x结构。由于铜和锌之间的强相互作用会促进锌的体相扩散,并且铜表面可以被氧化形成表面氧化物,整层氧化锌在Cu(111)上的生长相当困难。我们通过使用NO₂作为氧化剂解决了这个问题,生长出了覆盖Cu(111)表面的满层有序氧化锌薄膜。这些有序氧化锌薄膜表面显示出莫尔条纹,表明存在一个ZnO和Cu(111)之间的莫尔超晶格。实验上观察到的超晶格结构与最近理论计算提出的Cu(111)上的氧化锌薄膜结构相符,具有最小应力。我们的研究表明,氧化锌薄膜的表界面结构可能会随氧化程度或氧化剂的不同而变化,而Cu(111)的表面氧化也可能影响氧化锌的生长。当Cu(111)表面被预氧化成铜表面氧化物时,ZnO_x的生长模式会发生变化,锌原子会受到铜氧化物晶格的限域形成单位点锌。我们的研究表明了氧化锌的生长需要抑制锌向金属基底的扩散,并阻止亚化学计量比ZnO_x的形成。因此,使用原子氧源有利于在Au(111)和Cu(111)表面上生长有序氧化锌薄膜。     

Adsorptive behavior of dimethylglyoxime on Au(111)

Dimethylglyoxime (DMG) adsorbed on Au(111) was investigated using electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). STM experiments revealed three different structures of adsorbed DMG at open circuit potential (~0.07 V versus Ag/AgCl): (2√3×2√3)R30°-α, (2√3×4√3)R30°-β, and (2√3×4√3)R30°-γ. The coverage of adsorbed DMG obtained using XPS was 0.33. A combination of structural and quantitative information identified the adsorbed DMG as an anionic tetramer, held together by intermolecular hydrogen bonding and arrayed in three ordered patterns. Domains of adsorbed DMG underwent phase transitions between the observed structures, most likely due to the influence of the STM tip. However, a significant correlation between the observed structures and the imaging conditions was not found. The ordered layers existed only at open circuit potential as evidenced by their disappearance when the potential was shifted to 0.2 or -0.15 V. The ordered layers were also removed by immersion in a solution of Ni(2+), implying that the adsorbed DMG was converted to a soluble dimer complex with the Ni(2+) ion. This particular observation is discussed in terms of the rigidity of the organic network.