Abstract
The reaction of phenol on Mo(110) has been studied using temperature programmed reaction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. After desorption of multilayers and a weakly bound molecular species, decomposition produces the only reaction products observed: gaseous dihydrogen, surface carbon and surface oxygen. The OH bond cleaves first at temperatures below 360 K to form surface phenoxide (C 6H 5O-), followed by CH bond activation commencing at 370 K. CO bonds are cleaved in the temperature range of 370 to 450 K. After annealing to 300 K, multiple species are detected on the surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The cleavage of CH bonds in the same temperature regime as CO bonds is thought to lead to selective decomposition of phenol on Mo(110). The reaction of phenol is contrasted to that of a sulfur-containing analogue, benzenethiol, on the Mo(110) surface. The stability of the phenoxide intermediate with respect to carbon-heteroatom bond cleavage is greater than that of the corresponding phenyl thiolate formed from benzenethiol. Comparison of the reaction of phenol and benzenethiol demonstrates the importance of C X ( X = O, S) bond strength in determining the reactivity and selectivity of these molecules.
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