Chemisorption reversibility

As also noted in the preceding chapter, it is customary to divide adsorption into two broad classes, namely, physical adsorption and chemisorption. Physical adsorption equilibrium is very rapid in attainment (except when limited by mass transport rates in the gas phase or within a porous adsorbent) and is reversible, the adsorbate being removable without change by lowering the pressure (there may be hysteresis in the case of a porous solid). It is supposed that this type of adsorption occurs as a result of the same type of relatively nonspecific intermolecular forces that are responsible for the condensation of a vapor to a liquid, and in physical adsorption the heat of adsorption should be in the range of heats of condensation. Physical adsorption is usually important only for gases below their critical temperature, that is, for vapors. 

As is made evident in the next section, there is no sharp dividing line between these two types of adsorption, although the extremes are easily distinguishable. It is true that most of the experimental work has tended to cluster at these extremes, but this is more a reflection of practical interests and of human nature than of anything else. At any rate, although this chapter is ostensibly devoted to physical adsorption, much of the material can be applied to chemisorption as well. For the moment, we do assume that the adsorption process is reversible in the sense that equilibrium is reached and that on desorption the adsorbate is recovered unchanged. 

Restructuring of a surface may occur as a phase change with a transition temperature as with the Si(OOl) surface [23]. It may occur on chemisorption, as in the case of oxygen atoms on a stepped Cu surface [24]. The reverse effect may occur The surface layer for a Pt(lOO) face is not that of a terminal (100) plane but is reconstructed to hexagonal symmetry. On CO adsorption, the reconstruction is lifted, as shown in Fig. XVI-8. 

It might be thought that since chemisorption equilibrium was discussed in Section XVIII-3 and chemisorption rates in Section XVIII-4B, the matter of desorption rates is determined by the principle of microscopic reversibility (or, detailed balancing) and, indeed, this principle is used (see Ref. 127 for... 

Perhaps the most fascinating detail is the surface reconstruction that occurs with CO adsorption (see Refs. 311 and 312 for more general discussions of chemisorption-induced reconstructions of metal surfaces). As shown in Fig. XVI-8, for example, the Pt(lOO) bare surface reconstructs itself to a hexagonal pattern, but on CO adsorption this reconstruction is lifted [306] CO adsorption on Pd( 110) reconstructs the surface to a missing-row pattern [309]. These reconstructions are reversible and as a result, oscillatory behavior can be observed. Returning to the Pt(lOO) case, as CO is adsorbed patches of the simple 1 x 1 structure (the structure of an undistorted (100) face) form. Oxygen adsorbs on any bare 1 x 1 spots, reacts with adjacent CO to remove it as CO2, and at a certain point, the surface reverts to toe hexagonal stmcture. The presumed sequence of events is shown in Fig. XVIII-28. 

Most adsorption processes are exothermic (AH is negative). Adsorption processes involving nonspecific interactions are referred to as physical adsorption, a relatively weak, reversible interaction. Processes with stronger interactions (electron transfer) are termed chemisorption. Chemisorption is often irreversible and has higher heat of adsorption than physical adsorption. Most dispersants function by chemisorption, in contrast to surfactants, which... 

Physisorption, originating from Van der Waals interaction between reactant and surface. This weakly exothermic process is reversible and does not result in any new chemical bonds being formed. In general physisorption does not lead to catalytic activity but may be a precursor to chemisorption. 

Static Chemisorption. Measurements were made by two procedures. In the first, the catalyst was evacuated at ca. 250°C for at least 8 hrs and cooled to the measurement temperature under vacuum. Hydrogen was then admitted at progressively higher pressures and the amount of gas adsorbed after 15-30 min at each pressure recorded. The sample was then evacuated for 30 min and the dosing procedure repeated so as to obtain a measure of the reversibly adsorbed gas. In the second (saturation) procedure, after reduction and evacuation, the catalyst was cooled to the... 

It Is apparent from even the static chemisorption results that not all chemisorbing sites have the same energetics, since In all catalysts a sizeable portion of the sorbed gas could be removed by pumping for a few minutes. The exact fraction of the reversible portion depends on support and temperature. For the catalysts used In this study, the reversible portion ranged between 10-30% of the total chemisorption. 

A comparison of the qualitative features of the FRC spectra for the catalyst studied show a clear distinction between Rh/S102 and Rh/T102, In terms of their reversible H2-chemlsorptlon. Suprlslngly, little difference was observed between normal and SMSI-Rh/T102. "Normal" Rh/T102 behaved quite differently from Rh/S102, In spite of their similarities In total, l.e., static, chemisorption behavior. 

These results are consistent with recently reported results by Haller, et al. (10) on the reactions of CO/H2 and NHj over Rh catalysts In which no significant differences were observed between catalysts reduced at low and high temperatures (presumably "normal and SMSI) but In which Rh/S102 was found to behave differently. Thus, there appears to be some correlation between the FRC chemisorption results and the reactivity patterns of supported rhodium catalysts which we would like to believe supports the assertion that the sites at which hydrogen sorbs reversibly are those at which catalytlcally Important reactions occur, and that FRC can monitor the density and relative kinetics of these sites. 

The reversible H2 chemisorption behavior of Rh/S102 Is different from that of Rh/T102 ... 

Figure 3.50. Reversible (weak chemisorption) and irreversible (strong chemisorption) H2 adsorption on AI2O3 supported Ni catalyst at T= 323 K (Xu Xiaoding, 1998).

All major characteristics of chemisorption response of electrophysical parameters of semiconductor adsorbents such as sensitivity, selectivity, inertia, reversibility are naturally dependent both on the nature of adsorbent and on chemical activity of absorbate with respect to adsorbent chosen. 

At a Pd(l 11) surface at room temperature, the chemisorption state is disordered when the NO pressure is less than 3 x 10-6 Torr with very noisy STM images due to the high mobility of the adsorbed molecules.14 With increasing pressure (and coverage), the c(4 x 2) state, which is reversible, is locked-in and immobile. The adsorption at lower temperatures (150-200 K), where the coverage exceeds that at room temperature, the c(4 x 2) state coexists with a p(2 x 2) and a c(8 x 2) phase the latter is only present when it coexists with the c(4 x 2) and p(2 x 2) states. 

A third empirical criterion is based on the effect of temperature on the amount adsorbed. For physical adsorption the amount of gas adsorbed always decreases monotonically as the temperature is increased. Significant amounts of physical adsorption should not occur at temperatures in excess of the normal boiling point at the operating pressure. Appreciable chemisorption can occur at temperatures above the boiling point and even above the critical temperature of the material. Because chemisorption can be an activated process that takes place at a slow rate, it may be difficult to determine the amount of chemisorption corresponding to true equilibrium. Moreover, the process may not be reversible. It is also possible for two or more types of chemisorption or for chemical and physical adsorption to occur simultaneously on the same surface. These facts make it difficult to generalize with regard to the effect of temperature on the amount adsorbed. Different behavior will be observed for different adsorbent-adsorbate systems. 

Physical adsorption is a readily reversible process, and alternate adsorption and desorption stages can be carried out repeatedly without changing the character of the surface or the adsorbate. Chemisorption may or may not be reversible. Often one species may be adsorbed and a second desorbed. Oxygen adsorbed on charcoal at room temperature is held very strongly, and high temperatures are necessary to accomplish the desorption. CO and/or C02 are the species that are removed from the surface. Chemical changes like these are prima facie evidence that chemisorption has occurred. 

If the activity of the catalyst is slowly modified by chemisorption of materials that are not easily removed, the deactivation process is termed poisoning. It is usually caused by preferential adsorption of small quantities of impurities (poisons) present in the feedstream. Adsorption of extremely small amounts of the poison (a small fraction of a monolayer) is often sufficient to cause very large losses in catalytic activity. The bonds linking the catalyst and poison are often abnormally strong and highly specific. Consequently, the process is often irreversible. If the process is reversible, a change in the temperature or the composition of the gas to which it is exposed may be sufficient to restore catalyst... 

Few studies have been made of benzene chemisorption by the volumetric method. Zettlemoyer et al. (8) have examined the adsorption of benzene vapor at 0°C on powders of nickel and of copper. First, the monolayer coverage of argon (vm) A, was measured. The argon was then removed by pumping and the amount of benzene required to form a monolayer, (vmi) Bz, was measured. Weakly adsorbed benzene was then removed by pumping, after which further benzene adsorption provided the value (vm2) Bz. Some results are reproduced in Table I. On the assumption that the same extent of surface is accessible both for argon and for benzene adsorption, it is clear that complete monolayers of benzene were not achieved, that some (Ni) or all (Cu) of the benzene was adsorbed reversibly. It was considered that only the irreversibly adsorbed benzene was chemisorbed, the remainder being physically adsorbed. Thus chemisorption of benzene on copper appeared not to occur. The heat of adsorption of benzene on nickel at zero... 

If the reverse of equation (2) above is activated, then v2 = k29x e2iX6- However, in the event that chemisorption of X2 is not activated, all the change in enthalpy of activation will appear in the activation energy (i.e. c, = 1) and... 

Poisoning is caused by chemisorption of compounds in the process stream these compounds block or modify active sites on the catalyst. The poison may cause changes in the surface morphology of the catalyst, either by surface reconstruction or surface relaxation, or may modify the bond between the metal catalyst and the support. The toxicity of a poison (P) depends upon the enthalpy of adsorption for the poison, and the free energy for the adsorption process, which controls the equilibrium constant for chemisorption of the poison (KP). The fraction of sites blocked by a reversibly adsorbed poison (0P) can be calculated using a Langmuir isotherm (equation 8.4-23a) ... 

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