Kinetic evidence: the rate-determining step for ammonia synthesis over electride-supported Ru catalysts is no longer the nitrogen dissociation step

Using kinetic analysis, we demonstrate that the rate-determining step for ammonia synthesis over Ru catalysts supported by electrides, such as [Ca24Al28O64](4+)(e(-))(4) and Ca2N:e(-), is not the N-2 dissociation step but the subsequent surface reactions of N and H adatoms, in which case the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model should be used to describe the kinetics.