HETEROGENEOUS CATALYSIS ON PLATINUM AND SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS ON METAL AND METAL-OXIDE SURFACES

This paper describes research in two areas: heterogeneous catalysis and molecular self-assembly. The work in heterogeneous catalysis used the platinum-catalyzed hydrogenation of diolefin(dialkyl)platinum(II) complexes to generate platinum surface alkyls of known structure. The structure and reactivity of these surface alkyls were inferred from characteristic processes occurring on the surface. The incorporation of deuterium from isotopically labelled protic solvents (e.g. EtOD) was particularly useful mechanistically. The technique of self-assembly was used to form organic monolayers by coordination of a ligand to a metal or metal oxide surface. In addition to the chemisorption of alkyl thiols on gold (as alkyl thiolates, RS-Au+), a number of other systems were demonstrated to give ordered organic surface species.