Surface reactivity, mechanistic tool

The combined use of the modem tools of surface science should allow one to understand many fundamental questions in catalysis, at least for metals. These tools afford the experimentalist with an abundance of information on surface structure, surface composition, surface electronic structure, reaction mechanism, and reaction rate parameters for elementary steps. In combination they yield direct information on the effects of surface structure and composition on heterogeneous reactivity or, more accurately, surface reactivity. Consequently, the origin of well-known effects in catalysis such as structure sensitivity, selective poisoning, ligand and ensemble effects in alloy catalysis, catalytic promotion, chemical specificity, volcano effects, to name just a few, should be subject to study via surface science. In addition, mechanistic and kinetic studies can yield information helpful in unraveling results obtained in flow reactors under greatly different operating conditions. 

Perhaps the most powerful mechanistic tool is the trapping of intermediates by reactive chemicals. For example, dimethyl- and diethylsulfate were used for trapping of surface methoxides and formates (86). Unsaturated... 

Polymer Brushes a Mechanistic Tool for the Interrogation of Surface Reactivity... 

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