Copper catalysts single crystals

Mechanism and Kinetics. The most detailed study of the reaction mechanism has been made by Wachs and Madix. They used isotopic tracers and flash desorption to study the species produced when methanol is adsorbed on an oxygen-doped copper (110) single-crystal surface. While the results of such a study are of considerable interest, they are not necessarily representative of a copper catalyst continuously exposed to reaction conditions. From the desorption spectra, methanol shows exchange only of the hydroxy-hydrogen surface methoxide was identified as the most populous surface intermediate. As formaldehyde and hydrogen also appeared to be produced from the same intermediate, the mechanism (21)—(24) was proposed for the selective reaction ... 

A question which has occupied many catalytic scientists is whether the active site in methanol synthesis consists exclusively of reduced copper atoms or contains copper ions [57,58]. The results of Szanyi and Goodman suggest that ions may be involved, as the preoxidized surface is more active than the initially reduced one. However, the activity of these single crystal surfaces expressed in turn over frequencies (i.e. the activity per Cu atom at the surface) is a few orders of magnitude lower than those of the commercial Cu/ZnO/ALO catalyst, indicating that support-induced effects play a role. Stabilization of ionic copper sites is a likely possibility. Returning to Auger spectroscopy, Fig. 3.26 illustrates how many surface scientists use the technique in a qualitative way to monitor the surface composition. 

Investigations into these topics are presented in this volume. Iron, nickel, copper, cobalt, and rhodium are among the metals studied as Fischer-Tropsch catalysts results are reported over several alloys as well as single-crystal and doped metals. Ruthenium zeolites and even meteo-ritic iron have been used to catalyze carbon monoxide hydrogenation, and these findings are also included. One chapter discusses the prediction of product distribution using a computer to simulate Fischer-Tropsch chain growth. 

It has also been suggested that the loss of catalytic activity of copper electrodes depends on the crystallographic properties of the electrode, the surface characteristics and the morphology . The rate of methanol synthesis from a 1 1 mixture of CO2 and H2 at a Cu(lOO) single crystal has been measured and a kinetic model has been proposed This model correctly predicts the rates of methanol production in catalysts under industrial conditions. 

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