Mechanistic insights into selectivity control for heterogeneous olefin oxidation: styrene oxidation on Au(111).

We demonstrate that intermolecular interactions, controlled by both oxygen and styrene coverage, alter reaction selectivity for styrene oxidation on oxygen-covered Au(111). Several partial oxidation products are formed--styrene oxide, acetophenone, benzoic acid, benzeneacetic acid, and phenylketene--in competition with combustion. The maximum ratio of the yields of styrene oxide to the total CO(2) produced is obtained for the maximum styrene coverage for the first two layers (0.28 ML) adsorbed on Au(111) precovered with 0.2 ML of O. Furthermore, our reactivity and infrared studies support a mechanism whereby styrene oxidation proceeds via two oxametallacycle intermediates which, under oxygen-lean conditions, lead to the formation of styrene oxide, acetophenone, and phenylketene. Benzoate, identified on the basis of infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, is converted into benzoic acid during temperature-programmed reaction. These results demonstrate the ability to tune the epoxidation selectivity using reactant coverages and provide important mechanistic insight into styrene oxidation reactions.