Macrokinetics of laser-induced chemical reactions in gases

This paper deals with the problem of laser radiation interaction with chemical gas. The review of numerical simulation results on the basis of three different models is presented. The main modes of the system behavior and the conditions, with various processes (diffusion, thermoconductivity, thermal diffusion, heat effect of the reaction and others) contributing to their realization, have been established. Theorems about the convergence of finite difference schemes have been proved.     

Selectivity of complex heterogeneous catalytic reactions over energetically nonuniform surfaces

The selectivity in parallel and consecutive heterogeneous catalytic reactions over nonuniform surfaces has been analyzed within the framework of the surface electron gas model. Equations for the selectivity are derived in the case of slow adsorption (no rate-limiting steps). Conditions when the nonuniform character of real catalytic surfaces should be taken into account in modeling of the selectivity behavior are discussed.     

Infinite-period bifurcation for chemical reactions on catalytic surfaces: A simple model

A simple model is presented, exhibiting the phenomena of finite-amplitude-infinite-period bifurcation for catalytic systems.     

Kinetics and mechanism of catalytic partial oxidation reactions of alkanes on rhodium surfaces

The kinetics of the partial oxidation of isobutane with molecular oxygen on Rh(111) single-crystal surfaces were studied by using a collimated molecular beam under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Both hydrogen and water were shown to form as primary products, not after secondary reforming or water-gas shift steps as it has been suggested in the past. The production of carbon monoxide (but not of carbon dioxide) was also detected. Water production reaches its steady-state rate in a slower fashion than the rest of the products, presumably because of the kinetics of formation and consumption of the hydroxo surface intermediate involved.     

Phenomenological theory of the activation energy of hydrocarbon reactions on catalytic stepped platinum surfaces

We present a phenomenological theory which allows us to calculate the heat of formation and activation energy of CH, CC and HH bond scission processes on stepped platinum surfaces. The dependence of these energies on the location of the active platinum atoms shows trends which are those found experimentally. The catalytic properties of steps and kinks can therefore be attributed to the local field properties of the platinum d- electrons. Results are presented in tabular form.     

Proton transfer reactions on semiconductor surfaces

The concept of proton affinity on semiconductor surfaces has been explored through an investigation of the chemistry of amines on the Ge(100)-2 x 1, Si(100)-2 x 1, and C(100)-2 x 1 surfaces. Multiple internal reflection Fourier transform infrared (MIR-FTIR) spectroscopy, temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used in the studies. We find that methylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine undergo molecular chemisorption on the Ge(100)-2 x 1 surface through the formation of Ge-N dative bonds. In contrast, primary and secondary amines react on the Si(100)-2 x 1 surface via N-H dissociation. Since N-H dissociation of amines at semiconductor surfaces mimics a proton-transfer reaction, the difference in chemical reactivities of the Ge(100)-2 x 1 and Si(100)-2 x 1 surfaces toward N-H dissociation can be interpreted as a decrease of proton affinity down a group in the periodic table. The trend in proton affinities of the two surfaces is explained in terms of thermodynamics and kinetics. Solid-state effects on the C(100)-2 x 1 surface and the surface proton affinity concept are discussed based on our theoretical predictions.     

Multilayered catalytic biosensor self-assembled on cyclodextrin-modified surfaces

In this paper we describe the deposition of enzyme layers on cyclodextrin-modified surfaces through self-assembly with adamantane-appended alkaline phosphatase using cyclodextrin-capped gold nanoparticles as supramolecular linkers. The system was studied by surface plasmon resonance and electrochemical methods (cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy). Up to three enzyme layers were formed on the cyclodextrin coated electrodes and the modified surface was used for the electrochemical detection of heavy metals (Cd²⁺, Ag⁺) based on the inhibition of enzymatic activity by these metal cations.     

Oscillatory reactions on single crystal surfaces

Heterogeneous catalytic reactions exhibit under certain conditions kinetic oscillations which have been investigated both with polycrystalline materials and with single crystal surfaces as catalysts. The present paper reviews single-crystal experiments conducted under isothermal, low pressure conditions (p < 10^-3 mbar). Two different reaction systems have been investigated: catalytic CO oxidation on various Pt and Pd orientations and catalytic NO reduction on Pt(100) using CO, H₂, or NH₃ as the reducing agent. The different reaction systems exhibit a wide variety of interesting phenomena which are well-known in nonlinear dynamics, for example, such as spatiotemporal pattern formation, the existence of Turing structures and the appearance of deterministic chaos, and chemical turbulence. The mechanistic steps leading to the observed phenomena have been investigated and appropriate mathematical models have been formulated and analyzed using bifurcation theory. The driving force for the rate oscillations has been shown to result from structural changes of the substrate in the case of catalytic CO oxidation on Pt surfaces, subsurface oxygen formation in the case of catalytic CO oxidation on Pd surfaces, and in the chemical reaction network described by a vacancy model in the case of the NO reduction reactions.     

First catalytic allyltitanation reactions

Catalytic allyltitanation reactions were accomplished from dienes and aldehydes with only 5% of titanocene complexes at the expense of employing stoichiometric amounts of PMHS.     

Chemical reactions and adsorption geometries of pyrrole on Ge(100)

The adsorption structures of pyrrole (C(4)H(5)N) on a Ge(100) surface at various coverages have been investigated with both scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and ab initio density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. Three distinct features are observed in the STM images at low coverages. The comparison of the STM images with the simulation reveals that the most dominant flowerlike feature with a dark side is that the adsorbed pyrrole molecules with H dissociated form bridges between two down Ge atoms of neighboring Ge dimer rows through N-Ge bonding and beta-carbon-Ge interaction. The flowerlike feature without a dark side is also observed as a minority, which is identified as nearly the same structure as the most dominant one where a dissociated H is out of the feature. The third feature showing bright protrusions may be due to a C- and N-end-on (CN) configuration, where the pyrrole molecule is located on one dimer row. At higher coverages, the number of localized configurations increases.     

Electrochemical promotion of catalytic reactions

The electrochemical promotion of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions (EPOC) became feasible through the use of porous metal electrodes interfaced to a solid electrolyte. With the O^2? conducting yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ), the Na⁺ conducting β″-Al₂O₃ (β-alumina), and several other types of solid electrolytes the EPOC effect has been demonstrated for about 100 reaction systems in studies conducted mainly in the mbar range. Surface science investigations showed that the physical basis for the EPOC effect lies in the electrochemically induced spillover of oxygen and alkali metal, respectively, onto the surface of the metal electrodes. For the catalytic promotion effect general concepts and mechanistic schemes were proposed but these concepts and schemes are largely speculative. Applying surface analytical tools to EPOC systems the proposed mechanistic schemes can be verified or invalidated. This report summarizes the progress which has been achieved in the mechanistic understanding of the EPOC effect.     

Bifurcations on potential energy surfaces of organic reactions

A single transition state may lead to multiple intermediates or products if there is a post-transition-state reaction pathway bifurcation. These bifurcations arise when there are sequential transition states with no intervening energy minimum. For such systems, the shape of the potential energy surface and dynamic effects, rather than transition-state energetics, control selectivity. This Minireview covers recent investigations of organic reactions exhibiting reaction pathway bifurcations. Such phenomena are surprisingly general and affect experimental observables such as kinetic isotope effects and product distributions.     

Competitive reactions of organophosphorus radicals on coke surfaces

The efficacy of organophosphorus radicals as anticoking agents was subjected to a computational study in which a representative set of radicals derived from industrially relevant organophosphorus additives was used to explore competitive reaction pathways on the graphene-like coke surface formed during thermal cracking. The aim was to investigate the nature of the competing reactions of different organophosphorus radicals on coke surfaces, and elucidate their mode of attack and inhibiting effect on the forming coke layer by use of contemporary computational methods. Density functional calculations on benzene and a larger polyaromatic hydrocarbon, namely, ovalene, showed that organophosphorus radicals have a high propensity to add to the periphery of the coke surface, inhibiting methyl radical induced hydrogen abstraction, which is known to be a key step in coke growth. Low addition barriers reported for a phosphatidyl radical suggest competitive aptitude against coke formation. Moreover, organophosphorus additives bearing aromatic substituents, which were shown to interact with the coke surface through dispersive π-π stacking interactions, are suggested to play a nontrivial role in hindering further stacking among coke surfaces. This may be the underlying rationale behind experimental observation of softer coke in the presence of organophosphorus radicals. The ultimate goal is to provide information that will be useful in building single-event microkinetic models. This study presents pertinent information on potential reactions that could be taken up in these models.     

Superhydrophobic surfaces from various polypropylenes

Superhydrophobic surfaces were prepared from solutions of isotactic polypropylenes of various molecular weights using soft chemistry. Varying the conditions of the experiments (polymer concentration and initial amount of the coated solution) allowed us to optimize the superhydrophobic behavior of the polymer film. Results show that decreasing the concentration and/or film thicknesses decreases the probability to get superhydrophobicity for all polypropylenes tested. Measurement and analysis of advancing and receding contact angles as well as estimation of surface homogeneity were performed. Similar results were obtained with syndio- as well as atactic polypropylenes.     

The pattern of methylcyclopentane and n-hexane reactions on Rh/Al2O3 in catalytic runs of various length

Methylcyclopentane and n-hexane were reacted on a Rh/alumina catalyst in a closed-loop reactor. The product composition was analyzed at different moments of the run. In spite of a slow self-deactivation, the distribution of primary products and the depth of hydrogenolysis showed hardly any dependence on the sampling time in the conversion range of 1.5% and 50%. This is discussed in terms of accumulation of hydrocarbonaceous residues and the low readsorption probability of primary products on rhodium surface.     

Regioselectivity in catalytic cyclopropanation reactions

Regioselectivities of cyclopropanation reactions with ethyl diazoacetate and monosubstituted dienes correlate linearly with the reaction catalyst and provide definition of the “metal carbene regioselectivity index”.