OXIDATION OF H2CO ON A COPPER(110) SURFACE

The oxidation of H2C16O by adsorbed 18O was studied on an Cu(110) sample by temperature programmed reaction spectroscopy. Formaldehyde exchanged its oxygen with surface 18O upon adsorption to yield H2C18O(a) and 16O(a). Formaldehyde was also oxidized by surface 16O and 18O atoms to H2COO which subsequently released one of the hydrogen atoms to form HCOO. The evolution of H2 from the Cu(110) surface was desorption limited, and the low pre-exponential factor for the recombination of the surface hydrogen atoms suggested stringent requirement on the trajectories of the colliding partners. The formate was very stable and dissociated at elevated temperatures to simultaneously yield H2 and CO2. The surface concentration of 18O exerted a pronounced affect on the activity of the oxidation of formaldehyde on Cu(110). © 1979.