Formic acid adsorption formation

In reviews on formic acid decomposition, Mars and coworkers194,198 wrote that the formation and decomposition of formate anions were monitored by infrared spectroscopy. These studies were carried out by Fahrenfort, Sachtler, and coworkers188,193 for the case of formates on metals produced by formic acid adsorption—Cu, Ni, Pd, Rh, Pt, and Zn and in the case of metal oxides, Hirota et al. investigated ZnO,187,189,190,197 while Scholten et al. studied MgO.199,200 The infrared... 

Madix and coworkers—facile formate formation/decomposition over Cu (110). In 1979-1981, Madix and coworkers219 220 226 studied formic acid adsorption and decomposition over Cu(l 10) and they showed facile formate production. TPD studies indicated that formate decomposed to yield C02 and H2 at temperatures as... 

Grenoble and coworkers229 reported an important influence of the support on the water-gas shift activity of various metal catalysts. For example, the rate increased an order of magnitude when Pt was supported on alumina versus silica. Turnover numbers for alumina-supported metal catalysts decreased in the order Cu, Re, Co, Ru, Ni, Pt, Os, Au, Fe, Pd, Rh, and Ir, whereby the activity varied by 3 orders of magnitude, suggesting a correlation between activity of the metal and the heat of adsorption. To describe these differences in activity, the authors used a bifunctional model, involving chemisorption of water on alumina and CO on the metal, followed by association of the CO with the water to form a formic acid-like formate species, with subsequent decomposition via dehydrogenation on the metal sites (Scheme 55). 

Temperature programmed desorption studies of formic acid decomposition by metals was reviewed recently by Madix (7d) the significance of formate formation is paramount to the discussion. This is also apparent in the recent electron energy loss spectra of formic acid adsorption on Cu(lOO) reported by Sexton (77). 

The dependence of formic acid adsorption on cpi has been investigated in some detail [75]. Considerable adsorption of formic acid is retained in the hydrogen region of potentials, and this is probably due to the possibility of reaction between formic acid and adsorbed hydrogen with simultaneous formation of an adsorption product ... 

Smith PE, Ben-Dor KF, Abruna HD. 2000. Poison formation upon the dissociative adsorption of formic acid on bismuth-modified stepped platinum electrodes. Langmuir 16 787-794. 

Figure 13.6 Potential-step electro-oxidation of formaldehyde on a Pt/Vulcan thin-film electrode (7 p,gpt cm, geometric area 0.28 cm ) in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution containing 0.1 M HCHO upon stepping the potential from 0.16 to 0.6 V (electrolyte flow rate 5 pL at room temperature). (a) Solid line, faradaic current transients dashed line, partial current for HCHO oxidation to CO2 dotted line, difference between the net faradaic current and that for CO2 formation, (b) Solid line, m/z = 44 ion current transients gray line potential-step oxidation of pre-adsorbed CO derived upon HCHO adsorption at 0.16 V, in HCHO-free sulfuric acid solution, (c) Current efficiency transients for CO2 formation (dashed line) and formic acid formation (dotted line).

Similar ideas can be applied to formaldehyde oxidation. For bulk formaldehyde oxidation, we found predominant formic acid formation under current reaction conditions rather than CO2 formation. Hence, it cannot be ruled out, and may even be realistic, that formaldehyde is first oxidized to formic acid, which can subsequently be oxidized to CO2. The steady-state product distribution at 0.6 V is much more favorable for such a mechanism as in the case of methanol oxidation. On the other hand, because of the high efficiency of COad formation from formaldehyde, this process is likely to proceed directly from formaldehyde adsorption rather than via formation and re-adsorption of formic acid. Alternatively, the second oxygen can be introduced via formaldehyde hydration to methylene glycol, which could be further oxidized to formic acid and finally to CO2 (see the next paragraph). 

In 1999, Binet et al.395 published a review on the response of adsorbed molecules to the oxidized/reduced states of ceria. In light of recent infrared studies on ceria, the assignments for OH groups, methoxy species, carbonate species, and formates are highly instructive. The OH and methoxy species have been briefly discussed. Characteristic band assignments of carbonate and formate species are provided below, the latter formed form the dissociative adsorption of formic acid, the reaction of CO with H2-reduced ceria surface, or via selective oxidation of methanol. Formate band intensities were a strong function of the extent of surface reduction of ceria. 

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