Catalytic Reduction of Nitrous Oxide by the Low-Symmetry Pt8 Cluster.

The search for a catalyst for the reduction of nitrous oxide (N2O) is now imperative, as this molecule is a very dangerous pollutant. We found that the low-symmetry Pt8 cluster presents multiple reaction pathways for N2O rupture, which are regioselective. This result was revealed by means of density functional theory calculations within the zero-order-regular approximation, ZORA, explicitly including relativistic effects. It is further proved that Pt8 is a competitive N2O catalyst compared to sub-nanometric rhodium clusters, obtaining similar reaction barriers. The hot adsorption site, a tip atom of Pt8, and the rotation of the N2O molecule over the metallic cluster promote the formation of a frustrated bridge activated transition state, Pt8-N2O. This transition structure yields to spontaneous dissociation of N2O without bridge formation. Along this catalytic process, rearrangements within the metal cluster take place, preserving its stability. Moreover, in addition to being important attributes of the Pt8 particle in the N2O reduction, fluxionality and multiple reaction pathways may also prevent poisoning effects. Overall, this differs from reported results for more symmetric metal particles also used as catalysts.

The CO oxidation mechanism on small Pd clusters. A theoretical study.

CO is a pollutant that is removed by oxidation using Pd, Pt or Rh as catalysts in the exhaust pipes of vehicles. Here, a quantum chemistry study on the CO + O2 reaction catalyzed by small Pdn clusters (n ≤ 5) using the PBE/TZ2P/ZORA method is performed. The limiting step in this reaction at low temperature and coverage is the O2 dissociation. Pdn clusters catalyze the O=O bond breaking, reducing the energy barrier from 119 kcal mol(-1) without catalyst to ∼35 kcal mol(-1). The charge transfer from Pd to the O2,ad antibonding orbital weakens, and finally breaks the O─O bond. The CO oxidation takes place by the Eley-Rideal (ER) mechanism or the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) mechanism. The ER mechanism presents an energy barrier of 4.10-7.05 kcal mol(-1) and the formed CO2 is released after the reaction. The LH mechanism also shows barrier energies to produce CO2 (7-15 kcal mol(-1)) but it remains adsorbed on Pd clusters. An additional energy (7-25 kcal mol(-1)) is necessary to desorb CO2 and release the metal site. The triplet multiplicity is the ground states of studied Pdn clusters, with the following order of stability: triplet > singlet > quintet state. Graphical Abstract CO oxidation mechanism on small Pd clusters.