Clean heterogeneous catalysis

The present volume continues to provide an entire spectrum of interdisciplinary exposures to catalysis. As stated in the introduction to the first chapter by R. J. Madix, heterogeneous catalysis is a complex phenomenon to understand at the molecular level, and the key to understanding such processes lies in the ability to dissect the catalytic event into its separate components. This chapter describes physical and spectroscopic approaches to make the explanation of a variety of catalytic reactions on clean metal surface possible. 

Theoretical models based on first principles, such as Langmuir s adsorption model, help us understand what is happening at the catalyst surface. However, there is (still) no substitute for empirical evidence, and most of the papers published on heterogeneous catalysis include a characterization of surfaces and surface-bound species. Chemists are faced with a plethora of characterization methods, from micrometer-scale particle size measurement, all the way to angstrom-scale atomic force microscopy [77]. Some methods require UHV conditions and room temperature, while others work at 200 bar and 750 °C. Some methods use real industrial catalysts, while others require very clean single-crystal model catalysts. In this book, I will focus on four main areas classic surface characterization methods, temperature-programmed techniques, spectroscopy and microscopy, and analysis of macroscopic properties. For more details on the specific methods see the references in each section, as well as the books by Niemantsverdriet [78] and Thomas [79]. 

Heterogeneous catalysis provides many important examples of those intermediate cases [26]. Accurate numerical study of the interaction of very simple molecules with the clean, atomically flat surfaces of pure metals has only very recently become feasible [27-34]. For example, the full six-dimensional energy surfaces of H2 on clean [33] and sulfur-poisoned [34] Pd(100) surfaces have been calculated. The energy surfaces which result from these computations have... 

D.A. King. D.P. Woodruff. The Chemical Physics of Solid Surfaces and Heterogeneous Catalysis, Elsevier (1981,. ..). (A series of the "Advances" type, many experimental results, less emphasis on techniques. Volume 1 (1981) deals with clean solid surfaces. Vol. 2 (1983) with adsorption at solid surfaces. Volume 6 (1993) with co-(chemi-)-sorption, promoters and poisons.)... 

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