Toward an Atomic Level Understanding of Heterogeneous Reaction Rate Enhancement Employing Gas Phase Metal and Metal Oxide Clusters
Abstract
Heterogeneous catalysis is studied both theoretically and experimentally employing neutral gas phase metal and metal compound clusters as the active catalytic species. The techniques involve laser ablation of metal and metal compounds to form neutral clusters, supersonic expansion to cool them reaction, in a fast flow reactor with small molecules, single single photon ionization for time of flight mass spectrometry to detect reactants, intermediates, and products, and theory to calculate a mechanistic reaction potential energy surface. Many reactions have been studied in this manner and their mechanisms have been generated, lending to a presentation of a full condensed phase catalytic cycle. Some representative reactions are SO2 to SO3, CO and H2 to methanol, CO to CO2, NO and NH3 to N2 and H2O, O2 and C2 H2 and C4H4 to generate CH2CO and CH3CHO, methanol oxidation to H2CO, C=C bond cleavage, and generation of the new cluster systems AlmCnHx, MgmCnHx, and BemCnHx for potential energy applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 10, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA562922
Entities
People
- Elliot R. Bernstein
Organizations
- Colorado State University