Molecular-Beam Study of Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange on Low-and High-Miller-Index Platinum Single-Crystal Surfaces

The hydrogen-deuterium exchange reaction takes place readily on a platinum single crystal with high Miller index (997), but not detectably on a platinum single crystal of low Miller index (111). The difference in reactivity is ascribed to the large density of atomic steps present on the high-index surface that are responsible for the dissociation of the diatomic molecules.