Mechanism Maybe, but Electrocatalysis

But there is more one can know before one tries out indicated substrates, as empirical help in finding a catalyst. For example, it would not be wise to think that a reaction took place all over the surface. There are certainly active sites that have been written about in gas-phase catalysis for more than 50 years. 

Correspondingly, anions will be adsorbed on the various planes to different extents and the degree will be potential dependent and their local electric fields will in turn attract or repel the 

Then there is surface diffusion. Adsorbed ions and radicals arrive on adsorbing sites and their ability to get away from them to active catalytic sites is determined by surface diffusion on the various faces of critical surface. Obviously, all this occurs under high electric field strengths, which will change with the chosen potential at which the reaction is to be run. 

FIGURE 1.19 Schematic representation of glucose oxidase adsorption, (a) Situation where the potential is positive with respect to the zero potential value (b) case where the potential is equal to that of zero charge and (c) final state where the enzyme is unfolded. 

I am writing in 2008. I claim that experimental analyses of a surface and the reactants and products on it can lead to the determination of the optimal electrocatalyst. If one can have a program written to express the theory, one can calculate the optimal catalyst. In a few years, intelligently chosen funding will be able to do just what is claimed here and truly design the optimal catalyst for a given reaction potential and temperature range. 

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