Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Catalysis

Catalysis

The presence of a catalyst affects the rate of a chemical reaction. A catalyst is a substance that can increase the reaction rate without being consumed during the process. A basic comprehension of a catalysts’ role during chemical reactions can be understood from the concept of reaction mechanisms and energy diagrams.

Water: A Bronsted-Lowry Acid and Base

Water: A Bronsted-Lowry Acid and Base

The reaction between a Brønsted-Lowry acid and water is called acid ionization. For example, when hydrogen fluoride dissolves in water and ionizes, protons are transferred from hydrogen fluoride molecules to water molecules, yielding hydronium ions and fluoride ions:

Formation of Complex Ions

Formation of Complex Ions

A type of Lewis acid-base chemistry involves the formation of a complex ion (or a coordination complex) comprising a central atom, typically a transition metal cation, surrounded by ions or molecules called ligands. These ligands can be neutral molecules like H2O or NH3, or ions such as CN− or OH−. Often, the ligands act as Lewis bases, donating a pair of electrons to the central atom. These types of Lewis acid-base reactions are examples of a broad subdiscipline called coordination...

Acid-Catalyzed Hydration of Alkenes

Acid-Catalyzed Hydration of Alkenes

Alkenes react with water in the presence of an acid to form an alcohol. In the absence of acid, hydration of alkenes does not occur at a significant rate, and the acid is not consumed in the reaction. Therefore, alkene hydration is an acid-catalyzed reaction.

Aldehydes and Ketones with Water: Hydrate Formation

Aldehydes and Ketones with Water: Hydrate Formation

An oxygen-based nucleophile, like water, can undergo addition reactions with aldehydes and ketones. The reaction leads to the formation of hydrates, also referred to as 1,1-diols or geminal diols.
The formation of hydrates is a reversible reaction. Hydrate formation is influenced by steric and electronic factors accompanying the alkyl substituents on the carbonyl group: The rate of hydrate formation increases with a decrease in the number of alkyl groups attached to the carbonyl carbon. Hence,...

Catalysis

Catalysis

Catalysis influences the rate of chemical reactions by providing an alternative reaction pathway with lower activation energy. A catalyst speeds up a reaction, but it is not consumed during the process. The fundamental principle of catalysis is the ability of a catalyst to alter the reaction mechanism, often introducing a more efficient pathway than the uncatalyzed process.In a catalyzed reaction, the catalyst participates directly in the reaction mechanism. It interacts with reactants to form...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Smarter Data: Rethinking Data Generation for Machine Learning Potentials in Heterogeneous Catalysis.

JACS Au·2026

Same author

First-in-human study of the dual A<sub>2</sub><sub>A</sub>/A<sub>2</sub><sub>B</sub> adenosine receptor antagonist muvadenant (M1069) in patients with advanced solid tumors.

ESMO open·2026

Same author

Pd-N-C shelled Pd nanoparticle catalysts for high-performance hydrogen peroxide electrosynthesis.

Chemical science·2026

Same author

The feasibility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis in differentiating recurrences from postsurgical changes of soft tissue sarcoma.

Clinical radiology·2026

Same author

Hitchhikers Guide To Training More General Machine Learning Potentials in Heterogeneous Catalysis.

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2026

Same author

First Principles Identification of Active Sites in Heterogeneous Catalysis: A Case Study on Zn<sub>x</sub>Cr<sub>y</sub>O<sub>z</sub> for Syngas Conversion.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Preparation and Use of Photocatalytically Active Segmented Ag|ZnO and Coaxial TiO2-Ag Nanowires Made by Templated Electrodeposition

Preparation and Use of Photocatalytically Active Segmented Ag|ZnO and Coaxial TiO₂-Ag Nanowires Made by Templated Electrodeposition

Published on: May 2, 2014

Catalytic water formation on platinum: a first-principles study.

A Michaelides¹, P Hu

¹School of Chemistry, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG, UK.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|July 18, 2001

Summary

Water formation on platinum is complex. Density functional theory reveals that while initial O hydrogenation is slow, water acts as an autocatalyst, facilitating subsequent steps via disproportionation reactions.

More Related Videos

On the Preparation and Testing of Fuel Cell Catalysts Using the Thin Film Rotating Disk Electrode Method

On the Preparation and Testing of Fuel Cell Catalysts Using the Thin Film Rotating Disk Electrode Method

Published on: March 16, 2018

Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics

Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics

Published on: April 12, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Preparation and Use of Photocatalytically Active Segmented Ag|ZnO and Coaxial TiO2-Ag Nanowires Made by Templated Electrodeposition

Preparation and Use of Photocatalytically Active Segmented Ag|ZnO and Coaxial TiO₂-Ag Nanowires Made by Templated Electrodeposition

Published on: May 2, 2014

On the Preparation and Testing of Fuel Cell Catalysts Using the Thin Film Rotating Disk Electrode Method

On the Preparation and Testing of Fuel Cell Catalysts Using the Thin Film Rotating Disk Electrode Method

Published on: March 16, 2018

Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics

Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics

Published on: April 12, 2019

Area of Science:

Surface science
Catalysis
Computational chemistry

Background:

The hydrogenation of oxygen (O) to water (H2O) on platinum is a fundamental catalytic process.
Despite its apparent simplicity, the reaction mechanism remains a subject of debate.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the microscopic reaction pathways for elementary steps in O hydrogenation on platinum using computational methods.
To elucidate the role of intermediates and alternative reaction routes in water formation.

Main Methods:

Density functional theory (DFT) with gradient corrections was employed.
Microscopic reaction pathways and energy barriers for key elementary steps were calculated.

Main Results:

H2O formation from chemisorbed O and H atoms is highly activated, with the initial H addition to O (forming OH) being the rate-limiting step (approx. 1 eV barrier).
Subsequent hydrogenation of OH to H2O is facile (approx. 0.2 eV barrier).
Disproportionation reactions involving H2O and O offer lower activation barriers for OH formation, indicating H2O acts as an autocatalyst.
The 2:1 H2O:O disproportionation is kinetically and thermodynamically favored over the 1:1 stoichiometry.

Conclusions:

Water (H2O) acts as an autocatalyst in its own formation on platinum, particularly via 2:1 disproportionation.
A mixed OH and H2O overlayer is a likely key intermediate at low temperatures.
Proton-transfer mechanisms likely facilitate the final hydrogenation step to H2O.