AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Surface Science Tuesday Sessions
       Session SS-TuP

Paper SS-TuP28
Methane Activation on Nickel Surfaces: Mechanistic Insights from State-Resolved Reactivity Measurements

Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 6:00 pm, Room 3rd Floor Lobby

Session: Surface Science Poster Session
Presenter: A.L. Utz, Tufts University
Authors: A.L. Utz, Tufts University
D.R. Killelea, Tufts University
V. Campbell, Tufts University
D.F. Del Sesto, Tufts University
Correspondent: Click to Email
The molecular-level mechanism for methane activation on metal surfaces remains a subject of inquiry and debate. This has occurred in part because many experiments quantify the average reactivity of ensembles of reagents. The ensembles contain a distribution of molecules whose internal (vibrational and rotational) energies may vary significantly. The many energetic degrees of freedom available in this system severely hamper attempts to deconvolute ensemble averaging. This presentation describes experiments in which laser excitation prepares the methane reagents in specific vibrational and rotational states with well-defined total energy. We then quantify the reactivity of these state-selected molecules. Our ability to systematically vary the total energy of the reagents and its distribution among translational, rotational, and the stretching and bending vibrations of methane allows us to identify how energy deposited into specific reagent motions promotes reactivity. The presentation will highlight how these state-resolved results shed light on the mechanism for activation of methane and other hydrocarbons.