C-H Bond Activation and Organometallic Intermediates on Isolated Metal Centers on Oxide Surfaces

A study was conducted to investigate C-H bond activation and organometallic intermediates on isolated metal centers on oxide surfaces. It was demonstrated that C-H bond activation was a ubiquitous process in heterogeneous catalysis that involved various types of mechanisms and intermediates. The study focused on investigating processes that involved C-H bond activation of alkenes and aromatics on isolated metal centers of surface oxide materials leading to organometallic species and intermediates. One potential pathway in alkene dehydrogenation involved the formation of a metal-alkyl intermediate that underwent β-H elimination and generated an alkene. It was demonstrated that cofeeding CO2 increased the activity and the stability of these nonoxidative dehydrogenation catalysts, as CO2 played the role of a mild oxidant and prevented coke formation.