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Updated: Jul 27, 2026

Synthesis and Catalytic Performance of Gold Intercalated in the Walls of Mesoporous Silica
Published on: July 9, 2015
The promotional effect of gold in catalysis by palladium-gold
Mingshu Chen1, Dheeraj Kumar, Cheol-Woo Yi
1Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77842-3012, USA.
Abstract:
Acetoxylation of ethylene to vinyl acetate (VA) was used to investigate the mechanism of the promotional effect of gold (Au) in a palladium (Pd)-Au alloy catalyst. The enhanced rates of VA formation for low Pd coverages relative to high Pd coverages on Au single-crystal surfaces demonstrate that the critical reaction site for VA synthesis consists of two noncontiguous, suitably spaced, Pd monomers. The role of Au is to isolate single Pd sites that facilitate the coupling of critical surface species to product, while inhibiting the formation of undesirable reaction by-products.
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