Acetate formation during the ethanol oxidation on Rh(1 1 1)

The catalytic cracking of ethanol on clean and oxygen precovered Rh(1 1 1) surfaces has been studied by a combination of synchrotron based high-resolution core level spectroscopy and surface infrared spectroscopy. On the clean surface the decomposition of ethanol occurs without any formation of atomic oxygen. The presence of oxygen on the surface changes the reactivity significantly and acetate (CH3COO) was identified as an important surface intermediate in the ethanol oxidation.