The adsorption and thermal chemistry of 2-butanol and propylene oxide, each individually and when coadsorbed together, were characterized on Pt(111) single-crystal surfaces by using temperature programmed desorption and reflection-adsorption infrared spectroscopies. The formation of chiral superstructures on the surface upon the deposition of submonolayer coverages of enantiopure 2-butoxide species, produced by thermal dehydrogenation of 2-butanol, was highlighted by their difference in behavior toward the adsorption of the two enantiomers of propylene oxide. It was found that a significant enhancement in adsorption is possible on surfaces with the same chirality of the probe molecule, that is, for (R)-propylene oxide adsorption on (R)-2-butoxide layers and for (S)-propylene oxide adsorption on (S)-2-butoxide layers. The propylene oxide probe was found to also adsorb with the ring closer to the surface in those cases. Finally, less butoxide decomposition is seen at higher temperatures from the homochiral pairing, presumably because the coadsorbed propylene oxide forces the alkoxides into a more compact and better packed structure on the surface.

Selectivity in catalysis is key to many industrial processes, yet it is often difficult to control. One promising approach is to use  so-called single-atom catalysts, whereby one catalytic component is isolated within a second phase to add a key but otherwise unavailable functionality. Here, we report the use of metal alloys consisting of Pt single atoms diluted within Cu nanoparticles to selectively promote the hydrogenation of CO bonds in unsaturated aldehydes, a reaction of interest in fine chemical manufacturing. Our rationale, that Cu surfaces may favor CO over CC hydrogenation steps with atomic hydrogen but may require Pt sites to promote the initial activation of molecular hydrogen, was corroborated by kinetic catalytic experiments. However, fundamental surface science studies and quantum mechanics calculations showed that the explanation for the observed catalytic performance is more nuanced. For one, titration experiments using carbon monoxide failed to identify Pt atoms accessible on the surface of the catalysts, suggesting that their catalytic contribution may involve indirect electronic changes on neighboring Cu atoms. In addition, infrared absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results identified the existence of a thin Cu oxide layer covering the metallic nanoparticles. Finally, it was determined that hydrogenation selectivity with Cu-based catalysts may be explained in part by their preference for bonding unsaturated aldehydes via the terminal oxygen atom but is also affected by competitive adsorption among the reactants and products. Single-atom alloy catalysts appear to indeed help with selectivity in hydrogenation catalysis, but more in situ (or operando) characterization experiments are needed to better understand how they operate.

The thermal chemistry of a number of C4 hydrocarbons (1,3-butadiene, 1-bromo-3-butene, 1-bromo-2-butene, trans-2-butene, cis-2-butene, 1-butene, 2-iodobutane, 1-iodobutane, and butane) was investigated on clean and hydrogen- and deuterium-predosed Pt(111) single-crystal surfaces by temperature-programmed desorption and reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy. A combination of rapid beta-hydride eliminations from alkyls to olefins and the reverse insertions of those olefins into metal-hydrogen bonds explains the hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and H-D exchange products that desorb from the surface. A preference for hydrogenation at the end carbons and dehydrogenation from the inner carbons also explains the extent of the isotope exchange and the preferential isomerization of 1-butene to 2-butene observed on this Pt(111) surface. The reactions of more dehydrogenated C4 species is also discussed.

The adsorption and thermal chemistry of (S)-(+)-2-methylbutanoic acid ((S)-2MBA) on Pt(111) single-crystal surfaces was characterized by using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and reflection-adsorption infrared (RAIRS) spectroscopies. Particular emphasis was placed on the characterization of the chiral superstructures formed upon the deposition of the submonolayer coverages of enantiopure (S)-2-methylbutanoate species that are produced by thermal dehydrogenation of the (S)-2MBA. The enantioselectivity of the empty platinum sites left open on those structures were identified by their difference in behavior toward the adsorption of the two enantiomers of propylene oxide. It was found that a significant enhancement in adsorption is possible on surfaces with the same chirality of the probe molecule, specifically that the uptake of (S)-propylene oxide is larger than that of (R)-propylene oxide on (S)-2-methylbutanoate adsorbed layers. This contrasts with the lack of enantioselectivity previously reported for the same adsorbate on Pd(111). Detectable differences in adsorption energetics of (R)- vs (S)-propylene oxide on the (S)-2-methylbutanoate/Pt(111) overlayers were measured but deemed not to be the controlling factor in the enantioselectivity reported in this system.

The isomerization of trans-2-butene to its cis conformer was found to be easier on Pt111 surfaces than the opposite cis to trans conversion. This kinetic trend, which is opposite to what would be expected on thermodynamic grounds, is explained by an increased stability of the cis isomer upon adsorption. A model where adsorption energies are affected by steric interactions between the side moieties of the olefin and the surface suggests that selectivity toward cis versus trans formation may be manipulated by controlling the structure of the surface of the catalyst.