AVS 47th International Symposium
    Surface Science Wednesday Sessions
       Session SS-WeP

Paper SS-WeP13
CC Bond Breaking Before CH Bond Breaking on a Metal Surface

Wednesday, October 4, 2000, 11:00 am, Room Exhibit Hall C & D

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: S. Lavoie, Université Laval, Canada
Authors: S. Lavoie, Université Laval, Canada
A. Adnot, Université Laval, Canada
P.H. McBreen, Université Laval, Canada
M. Castonguay, Université Laval, Canada
Correspondent: Click to Email
CC bonds are very rarely broken before CH bonds in the same molecule, despite the fact that they are weaker. Intense research in organometallic chemistry is aimed at the selective activation of CC bonds, however examples of selective CC bond scission are usually restricted to strained ring molecules. In contrast, this RAIRS and SSIMS study shows the selective CC bond scission of methyl pyruvate on Ni(111) leading to the formation of adsorbed methoxycarbonyl and acetyl groups. The novel surface chemistry revealed in this study is also of interest due to the fact that the hydrogenation of methyl pyruvate is a test case reaction in heterogeneous chiral catalysis.