Reactions of small molecules on gold single crystal surfaces

Abstract

Supported heterogeneous gold catalysts (also called “real” catalysts) have been far more studied than gold single crystal surfaces. However, the surface science approach — fundamental studies of chemistry on well defined gold surfaces under controlled conditions — is extremely important, as it contributes to the understanding of the reaction mechanisms and of the nature of active centers, which allows a better knowledge of the “real” systems. This paper presents a brief overview concerning the work carried out on gold single crystal surfaces from 2004 until recently. Results on the reactions of several molecules on gold surfaces, experimental and computational (DFT) are discussed.