Activation of methane dissociation on a Pt(111) surface

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Abstract
This paper reports detailed molecular beam measurements of the dissociativechemisorption probability for methane on a Pt(111) surface. We find large increases in the dissociativechemisorption probability S 0 with increases in E i cos2 θ i (the normal component of translational energy),E v (the vibrational energy of the incident methane), and T s (surface thermal energy). The comparable activation of the reaction by addition of any of these three forms of energy cannot be accounted for by any single model for C–H bond activation proposed to date. A large kinetic isotope effect is also observed, with S 0 decreasing significantly for CD4 relative to CH4.