Activation of Oxygen on Gold/Alumina Catalysts: In Situ High‐Energy‐Resolution Fluorescence and Time‐Resolved X‐ray Spectroscopy

Abstract

Gold is not so inert after all! X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to probe the activation of O2 and its reaction with CO over an Au/Al2O3 catalyst. The catalytic activity of small gold particles in the oxidation of CO arises from their ability to transfer charge to oxygen (see picture).