Understanding Palladium Hydrogenation Catalysts: When the Nature of the Reactive Molecule Controls the Nature of the Catalyst Active Phase

Alkynes of everything: Fundamental differences in the palladium-catalyzed hydrogenation of double and triple CC bonds arise from marked differences in the composition of the catalyst surface. In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the near-surface region of active palladium catalysts uncovers strong links between the chemical nature of the (alkyne/alkene) reactive molecules and the subsurface state of the catalyst (I–IV). Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.