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Science 14 October 2005:
Vol. 310. no. 5746, p. 191
DOI: 10.1126/science.310.5746.191m
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This Week in Science
The underlying causes for the enhancement of a metal's catalytic activity by alloying with a second metal are often unclear. One such case is enhancement of the palladium (Pd)-catalyzed acetoxylation of ethylene to vinyl acetate (VA) by addition of gold (Au), which has been thought to involve larger ensembles of Pd atoms. Chen et al. (p. 291) examined the rate of VA formation for low Pd coverages relative to high Pd coverages on Au single-crystal surfaces and found that the critical reaction site consists of two Pd atoms spaced at critical distances, based on greater reactivity for the Au(100) surface compared to the Au(111) surface. These nearby Pd sites help couple critical surface species to products and also appear to inhibit the formation of undesirable by-products, such as CO, CO2, or surface carbon.
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)
