Hydrocarbon oxidation reactions on oxide surfaces

Heterogeneous catalytic oxidations of hydrocarbons that employ metal oxide catalysts, which avoid the production of CO ₂, will be increasingly important in the field of industry chemistry. For example, metal oxides are known to convert short chain alkanes (e.g., butane) to alkenes and water by oxidative dehydrogenation. Although the chemistry and reactions that occur on the oxide's surface are not known, the composition, crystal orientation, and surface structure influence its reactivity. A study was conducted to synthesize catalysts with greater selectivity. Magnesium orthovanadate, which contains VO ₄ ^3- groups, a common structural motif in the vanadates that exhibit excellent catalytic activity, is an oxide where reductive addition and oxidative elimination-type reactions occur at the gas-solid interface. High quality single crystals with well-defined stoichiometries are important to study intrinsic properties. For fundamental surface studies, the single crystals should be free of structural defects and impurity phases.