Surface science and catalysis of ethylene hydrogenation

Surface science and catalysis have been combined over the last 15 years to study the hydrogenation of the simplest alkene, ethylene, over late-transition-metal catalysts. Ethylene hydrogenation has been used as a model reaction because it yields only one product while permitting molecular information to be gleaned on an important class of chemical reactions. Enormous progress has been achieved in this field in recent years by the application of reaction rate and surface spectroscopic studies. The role of carbon-containing overlayers covering the surface during reaction has been identified, intermediates present during reaction have been observed and detailed molecular mechanisms for this reaction can be proposed.