Hydrogen atoms emerging from the bulk of Ni metal to the surface are observ
ed to be the reactive species in the hydrogenation of adsorbed methyl radic
al, ethylene, and acetylene to gas-phase products. Surface-bound H atoms ar
e unreactive. The distinctive chemistry of a bulk H atom arises largely fro
m its significantly higher energy as compared to that of a surface-bound H
atom. These results demonstrate that bulk H is not solely a source of surfa
ce-bound H in catalytic hydrogenation as proposed 50 years ago, but rather,
a reactant with a chemistry of its own.