Influence of charge state on the mechanism of CO oxidation on gold clusters

We present results from our joint experimental and theoretical study of the reactivity of anionic and cationic gold oxide clusters toward CO, focusing on the role of atomic oxygen, different charge states, and mechanisms for oxidation. We show that anionic clusters react by an Eley-Rideal-like mechanism involving the preferential attack of CO on oxygen rather than gold. In contrast, the oxidation of CO on cationic gold oxide clusters can occur by both an Eley-Rideal-like and a Langmuir-Hinshelwood-like mechanism at multiple collision conditions as a result of the high adsorption energy of two CO molecules. This large energy of CO adsorption on cationic gold oxide clusters is the driving force for the CO oxidation. Therefore, in the presence of cationic gold species at high pressures of CC, the oxidation reaction is self-promoting (i.e., the oxidation of one CO molecule is promoted by the binding of a second CO). Our findings provide new insight into the role of charge state in gold-cluster-based nanocatalysis.