THE ROLE OF DIOXYGEN IN METHANOL OXIDATION ON AG

An Ag surface with a dioxygen species, stable to 380 K, as the only ox ygen species was used to investigate the roles of this dioxygen in met hanol oxidation with the techniques of HREELS and TDS. The roles of th is dioxygen were found to be similar to those of atomic oxygen: as a b ase in the deprotonation of methanol, dehydrogenation of adsorbed meth oxide and as a nucleophile in an attack on the carbon of adsorbed form aldehyde. The temperatures of gaseous product evolution are different with these two oxygen species and is possibly due to the coverage of o xygen in excess.