Reactions at Surfaces: From Atoms to Complexity (Nobel Lecture)

2008/03/20 by G. Ertl · 3 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation #Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies

paper · doi:10.1002/anie.200800480

openalex publication_date 2008/03/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/03

Abstract

The spatio–temporal formation of patterns on the surface during a chemical reaction is one phenomenon that can now be understood and modeled thanks to the Nobel Prize winning research on the course of heterogeneous catalysis. The picture shows a pattern formed by a feedback mechanism during the oxidation of CO. Reactions that have been illuminated by this work include the synthesis of ammonia and the purification of waste gases.

Citations

• Atomic and Macroscopic Reaction Rates of a Surface-Catalyzed Reaction
• The structure of atomic nitrogen adsorbed on Fe(100)
• Interaction of nitrogen with iron surfaces I. Fe(100) and Fe(111)
• Processes of adsorption and diffusion on solid surfaces

Cited by

• Ag–Cu alloy surfaces in an oxidizing environment: A first-principles study
• Perovskites in catalysis and electrocatalysis
• Platinum [wikipedia]

Related

• Toward the Era of Visualizing Chemical Reactions : Cinematic Chemistry Enabled by High-Speed Atomic-Resolution Electron Microscopy
• Without Spectroscopy at the Beginning, Catalysis Research Proceeded in the Wrong Direction for More Than 100 Years
• Conformity of macroscopic behavior to local properties in the catalytic ammonia synthesis and oscillatory reactions on metal surfaces
• An Introduction To Monte Carlo Simulations Of Surface Reactions
• Electron Transfer Reactions in Chemistry: Theory and Experiment (Nobel Lecture)