MOLECULAR APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF THE MECHANISMS OF ALKYL REACTIONS ON METAL-SURFACES

The surface chemistry of alkyl species adsorbed on solid transition metal surfaces is contrasted here against the behavior of analog organometallic systems. The several methods developed in recent years for the clean production of alkyl surface moieties on well characterized metal surfaces are described, and the main decomposition pathways observed after thermal activation of those alkyl species, namely, elimination of both hydride and methyl groups from either the alpha or the beta position, reductive elimination processes related to hydrogenation and to carbon-carbon coupling steps, and insertion, homolysis, and displacement reactions, are discussed. A brief outlook on the future of this field is presented.