Insight into the partial oxidation of propene: the reactions of 2-propen-1-ol on clean and O-covered Mo(110)

The reactions of 2-propen-1-ol (allyl alcohol) were studied on clean and O-covered Mo(110) to understand the effect of resonance stabilization and the presence of surface oxygen on reaction selectivity. Propene is the only gaseous hydrocarbon product evolved from allyl alcohol reaction on O-covered Mo(110). Water and dihydrogen are also produced, along with a small amount of adsorbed carbon. We estimated, using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, that approximately 70% of the 0.11 ML of 2-propen-1-ol that reacts forms propene. In contrast, the dominant reaction pathway on the clean surface is nonselective decomposition to adsorbed carbon and hydrogen, leading to a 23% selectivity for propene formation. On both clean and O-covered Mo(110), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy identify allyloxy as the reaction intermediate yielding propene. These results are discussed in the context of propene oxidation and periodic trends in reactivity.