Paper SS1+NC-TuA1
Surface-Mediated Partial Oxidation of Alcohols on Gold

Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 1:40 pm, Room 208

Fundamental investigations of the chemical properties of oxygen on Au(111) will be described. These studies serve as a model for gold-based catalysis which efficiently promotes oxidation reactions of CO, alcohols, and olefins. Gold is also important in materials science more broadly because it is used for interconnects and as a substrate for self-assembled monolayers and for biological samples. Our studies of alcohol oxidation on gold single-crystal surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions have revealed mechanistic information for partial oxidation of alcohols that can be applied to explain the mechanism of heterogeneous catalytic processes. Furthermore, such basic knowledge is important for understanding and controlling factors that determine reaction selectivity. We have used a combination of reactivity, spectroscopic and imaging measurements in our work. These studies provide evidence that mechanistic information, established in single-crystal surface science studies, can serve as a valuable guide for understanding and designing catalytic reaction processes.