The BOC-MP Model Comments and Summary

In the zero-coverage extreme, the BOC-MP interrelations are exact for atomic adsorbates and well defined for molecular adsorbates, the same analytic formalism being used to treat both diatomic and polyatomic molecules. Moreover, these interrelations are expressed in terms of observables only (the heats of chemisorption and various constants), which makes comparison with experiment direct and unambiguous. With rare exceptions, the agreement with experiment is remarkably good, qualitatively and quantitatively. 

Of course, with such general and uniform modeling, some of the calcu- 

The BOC-MP model is a simple, truly back-of-the-envelope model that can be directly used by practitioners in the field. It efficiently describes and interrelates a wide variety of chemisorption phenomena. Most important, the model maps out metal surface reactions providing insight into both regularities and details. We have considered a number of examples of different complexity. In principle, any metal surface reaction can be treated this way. The only requirement is to retain the rigor and simplicity of the model projections. As John von Neumann put it, if a style, classical in the beginning, turns to resemble baroque, this is a sign of danger. 

The theorists are incurable optimists in their belief that there exists a comprehensible order of things. The only problem is to find a framework within which the intricacies of real phenomena are coherently interrelated. For chemisorption phenomena on transition metal surfaces, including surface reactivity, the BOC-MP model appears to provide such a framework. 

This work was begun during my apprenticeship with the late Earl L. Muetterties. I am indebted to many of my colleagues and friends for sharing their knowledge and vision with me. Here my special thanks are to John T. Yates, Jr., Gerhard Ertl, and Michel Boudart, who have been the most sympathetic listeners and incisive critics of my work, and to Alexis T. Bell for the sheer scientific pleasure of our collaboration. 

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