Narrowly dispersed silica supported osmium nanoparticles prepared by an organometallic approach: H2 and CO adsorption stoichiometry and hydrogenolysis catalytic activity

Osmium(cyclooctadiene)(cyclooctatetraene) is used as a molecular precursor to prepare small and narrowly distributed silica supported nanoparticles upon a mild treatment under H-2 (1.1 +/- 0.3 nm, ca. 90 atoms). Static volumetric chemisorption combined with HAADF-STEM shows that Os nanoparticles adsorb 1.7 +/- 0.1 H and 1.4 +/- 0.1 CO per surface atom. These particles present high activity in the hydrogenolysis of alkanes via a dimetallacyclopentane mechanism.