The adsorption of acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde on the anatase and rutile polymorphs of TiO2 has
been investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Chemisorption of acetaldehyde
on TiO2 involves a strong interaction between the surface and the carbonyl oxygen, causing a significant
shift in the location of the ν(CO) vibrational mode to lower frequencies; no interaction with surface
hydroxyl groups was observed. Capacities for acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde adsorption under conditions
relevant to aldolization reactions were determined in a novel reactor system providing simultaneous mass
measurements and mass spectral analysis of gas-phase products. The coverage of acetaldehyde irreversibly
adsorbed on TiO2 was similar to values previously reported for the adsorption of alcohols; coverages of
crotonaldehyde were approximately 60% of those for acetaldehyde. Both gas-phase and surface analyses
indicate that formation of crotonaldehyde by aldol condensation of acetaldehyde occurs on rutile TiO2 at
temperatures as low as 313 K. This reaction was not observed on anatase at these conditions; higher
temperatures were required. The production of crotonaldehyde on rutile at 313 K diminished with increasing
exposure of acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde adsorbed in a similar fashion on both anatase
and rutile, and either aldehyde could displace the other from the surface layer. Accordingly, the surface
concentrations of adsorbed acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde mirror those in the gas phase. Upon heating
an adsorbed layer of acetaldehyde, small amounts of ethoxide and acetate species were formed, possibly
from a Cannizzaro-type disproportionation reaction. The similarity of these results to those of studies on
TiO2 single crystals illustrates the applicability of properly chosen metal oxide single-crystal surfaces as
models for polycrystalline powders. Both demonstrate that the chemistry of aldehydes on TiO2 can be
successfully explained in terms of the reactions of a few key surface species.