Adsorbate oxygen

Martel R, Avouris Ph and Lyo l-W 1996 Molecularly adsorbed oxygen species on Si(111)-(7 7) STM-induced dissociative attachment studies Science 272 385... 

The first step consists of the molecular adsorption of CO. The second step is the dissociation of O2 to yield two adsorbed oxygen atoms. The third step is the reaction of an adsorbed CO molecule with an adsorbed oxygen atom to fonn a CO2 molecule that, at room temperature and higher, desorbs upon fomiation. To simplify matters, this desorption step is not included. This sequence of steps depicts a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, whereby reaction occurs between two adsorbed species (as opposed to an Eley-Rideal mechanism, whereby reaction occurs between one adsorbed species and one gas phase species). The role of surface science studies in fomuilating the CO oxidation mechanism was prominent. 

Because the synthesis reactions are exothermic with a net decrease in molar volume, equiUbrium conversions of the carbon oxides to methanol by reactions 1 and 2 are favored by high pressure and low temperature, as shown for the indicated reformed natural gas composition in Figure 1. The mechanism of methanol synthesis on the copper—zinc—alumina catalyst was elucidated as recentiy as 1990 (7). For a pure H2—CO mixture, carbon monoxide is adsorbed on the copper surface where it is hydrogenated to methanol. When CO2 is added to the reacting mixture, the copper surface becomes partially covered by adsorbed oxygen by the reaction C02 CO + O (ads). This results in a change in mechanism where CO reacts with the adsorbed oxygen to form CO2, which becomes the primary source of carbon for methanol. 

The standard potential for the anodic reaction is 1.19 V, close to that of 1.228 V for water oxidation. In order to minimize the oxygen production from water oxidation, the cell is operated at a high potential that requires either platinum-coated or lead dioxide anodes. Various mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of perchlorates at the anode, including the discharge of chlorate ion to chlorate radical (87—89), the formation of active oxygen and subsequent formation of perchlorate (90), and the mass-transfer-controUed reaction of chlorate with adsorbed oxygen at the anode (91—93). Sodium dichromate is added to the electrolyte ia platinum anode cells to inhibit the reduction of perchlorates at the cathode. Sodium fluoride is used in the lead dioxide anode cells to improve current efficiency. 

The adsorbed oxygen atom on the copper surface is removed by reaction with carbon monoxide and provides a pathway for the formation of the carbon dioxide needed in the main reaction. 

The third case arises when the temperature is higher than 420 K, at which point diffusion of atomic adsorbed oxygen from surface to subsurface region becomes appreciable (103). 

Oxidizing agents that accelerate the corrosion of some materials may also retard corrosion of others through the formation on their surface of oxides or layers of adsorbed oxygen which make them more... 

An alternative surface reaction which has been suggested is a reaction between an adsorbed oxygen atom with an adsorbed carbon monoxide molecule to form carbon dioxide which is immediately desorbed. The reaction rate is again given by the equation above. 

Electron tunnelling through the stable oxide film to the adsorbed oxygen which sets up a potential and causes ion drift, thus resulting in logarithmic oxide growth. 

As the system passes from the active to the passive state the initial interaction depends on the composition of the aqueous phaseAn initial chemisorbed state on Fe, Cr and Ni has been postulated in which the adsorbed oxygen is abstracted from the water molecules. This has features in common with the metal/gaseous oxygen interaction mentioned previously. With increase in anodic potential a distinct phase oxide or other film substance emerges at thicknesses of 1-4 nm. Increase in the anodic potential may lead to the sequence... 

The oxygen vacancies then diffuse to the gas interface where they are annihilated by reaction with adsorbed oxygen. The important point, however, is that metal is consumed and oxide formed in the same reaction zone. The oxide drift has thus only to accommodate the net volume difference between the metal and its equivalent amount of oxide. In theory this net volume change could represent an increase or a decrease in the volume of the system, but in practice all metal oxides in which anionic diffusion predominates have a lower metal density than that of the original metal. There is thus a net expansion and the oxide drift is away from the metal. 

The outstanding characteristics of the noble metals are their exceptional resistance to corrosive attack by a wide range of liquid and gaseous substances, and their stability at high temperatures under conditions where base metals would be rapidly oxidised. This resistance to chemical and oxidative attack arises principally from the Inherently high thermodynamic stability of the noble metals, but in aqueous media under oxidising or anodic conditions a very thin film of adsorbed oxygen or oxide may be formed which can contribute to their corrosion resistance. An exception to this rule, however, is the passivation of silver and silver alloys in hydrochloric or hydrobromic acids by the formation of relatively thick halide films. 

Turning now to the acidic situation, a report on the electrochemical behaviour of platinum exposed to 0-1m sodium bicarbonate containing oxygen up to 3970 kPa and at temperatures of 162 and 238°C is available. Anodic and cathodic polarisation curves and Tafel slopes are presented whilst limiting current densities, exchange current densities and reversible electrode potentials are tabulated. In weak acid and neutral solutions containing chloride ions, the passivity of platinum is always associated with the presence of adsorbed oxygen or oxide layer on the surface In concentrated hydrochloric acid solutions, the possible retardation of dissolution is more likely because of an adsorbed layer of atomic chlorine ... 

The interpretation of the beneficial effect of alkali modification on oxygen adsorption has to include both stabilization of the adsorbed oxygen atoms on alkali modified sites, due to direct alkali-oxygen interactions, but also... 

On the contrary, on oxygen-modified metal surfaces where secondary reactions between the adsorbed oxygen and ethylene decomposition products can easily occur, the effect of oxygen on the adsorptive capacity of the... 

Subsequently the catalyst-electrode is immediately exposed to a flowing stream of C2H4 (or CO) in He and an infrared C02 analyzer is used to monitor the mole fraction, yco2> of C02 formed by the reaction of C2FLi (or CO) with adsorbed oxygen. By integrating the peak area one determines the amount N0 (mol O) of O adsorbed on the surface after the desorption time W... 

The extent to which such reactions take place in parallel with the dominant reaction (4.1) is, in general, difficult to quantify as the overall reaction (4.3a) may consist of the elementary step (4.1) followed by reaction between adsorbed CO and adsorbed oxygen on the metal surface ... 

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