Oxidation, Reduction, and Isomerization of Allyl Alcohol and 1-Propanol over Cu2O(100)

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/j100105a019

The reactivity of allyl alcohol and 1-propanol has been studied with TDS and XPS on the polar, Cu(1+)-terminated, Cu2O(100) surface.Allyl alcohol reacts on the (100) surface to give selective and nonselective oxidation products (acrolein, CO, CO2, H2O), an isomerization product (propionaldehyde), and a reduction product (propene). 1-Propanol also reacts on the (100) surface to give selective and nonselective oxidation products (acrolein, propionaldehyde, CO, CO2, H2O) and a reduction product (propene).Both alcohols dissociatively adsorb to form alkoxides.The alkoxide species undergo hydride elimination on the carbon α to the oxygen to form the corresponding aldehydes.The acrolein and propionaldehyde formed from the alcohols are linked by a common surface enolate intermediate which explains the similarity in C3 products observed from the two alcohols.A low-temperature reaction to propene is attributed to pathways involving C-O bond scission from unsaturated surface oxygenates to give a surface allyl.Hydrogenation of the resulting allyl produces propene at low temperature.