Chapter 3 Catalytic Activation of Co over Single Crystals

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews existing literature that deals with the catalytic activation of CO on single-crystal surfaces. The three types of reactions considered in the chapter include methanation, water-gas shift, and methanol synthesis. Examples are provided, which demonstrate the relevance of single crystal studies for modeling the behavior of high surface area supported catalysts. The methanation reaction plays a critical role in the production of synthetic natural gas from hydrogen-deficient carbonaceous material. Additionally, the reaction is an obvious starting point in studies of fuel and chemical synthesis from carbon sources. The chapter begins with a discussion of the studies on monometallic and bimetallic single crystal surfaces, and then the results of studies dealing with the effects of electronegative and electropositive impurities on the kinetics of the methanation reaction are presented. The chapter reviews the studies dealing with the effects of electronegative and electropositive surface impurities on the rates of CO methanation over single crystal catalysts and discussion the role of electronegative impurities in poisoning Ni(100), Ru(001), Rh(111) and W(110) toward methanation activity. The water-gas shift reaction is widely used industrially in various hydrogen production or enrichment processes. The chapter reviews the results of studies in which the kinetics and mechanism of the water-gas shift reaction are investigated using the modern techniques of surface science and copper single crystals. The selective synthesis of methanol is a process of major industrial importance because of the use of methanol as a chemical intermediate, its potential use as a starting material for fuel production, and many other applications.