Chemisorption factors affecting adsorbate

A disadvantage of the availability of many different silicas is the limited reproducibility of the packing materials. Apart from the factors described above, the chromatographic behaviour of the silica can be affected by chemical factors such as the structure of the surface (affected by heat treatments and by washing the column with acidic or basic solutions), the history of the material (previous usage) and the presence of contaminants (e.g. metal ions). The water content is another major factor. Physically adsorbed water can be removed from or added to the surface, but water bound to the surface as silanol groups (chemisorption) cannot be introduced or removed once the silica is packed into the column. 

Following deposition of an active metal upon a ceria surface, it is possible to study chemisorption on a surface that models many of the important aspects expected for actual ceria supported catalysts. Surface techniques offer the possibility to identify where the adsorbates are located and to identify intermediates that are formed in their interaction. By comparison of ceria surfaces, with and without metal, the synergisms between metal and support can be deduced. By controlled metal deposition, it is possible to study the effects of loading and particle size. By selected preparation of the ceria substrate it is possible to vary factors which may affect the interaction between the metal particle and the ceria, sueh as structure, defeet concentration or oxidation state of the ceria. The goal of chemisorption studies, summarized below, is to relate all these factors to the interaction of the model catalyst with particular adsorbates. 

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