A Spectroscopic Study of the Decomposition of C2 Hydrocarbons and Methyl Amine on Pt(111) and Ru(001)

Heterogeneous catalysis plays a vital role in chemical and petroleum industries. As the catalytic reaction takes place at the interface, probing surface adsorbates becomes extremely important in order to get a better understanding about the catalytic reaction mechanism. Therefore, surface-sensitive spectroscopies appear to be the primary tool to study model catalyst systems related to different reactions. Here, we use a combination of spectroscopic techniques (RAIRS, TPD/TPRS, AES, LEED) to characterize the surface intermediates in the decomposition of C2Hx hydrocarbons and methyl amine on Pt(111) and Ru(001). This thesis focus on three different projects related to C-H, C-C, N-H and C-N activation: the characterization of C2Hx in the decomposition of vinyl iodide on Pt(111), C2Hx and CHx following the decomposition of ethylene on Ru(001), and HxCNHy in the decomposition of methyl amine on Ru(001). For each of the different systems, the surface intermediates formed from the adsorption and decomposition are characterized and a reaction mechanism is proposed, which provides new insights into the surface chemistry on Pt and Ru surfaces and facilitates the understanding and designs of new catalysts.