Abstract
The reaction of ethanol has been investigated on the surface of
Au–Rh/CeO
2
by temperature programmed desorption (TPD), infrared spectroscopy and in steady state conditions. Most of adsorbed ethanol is found in the form of ethoxides (ν O–C at 1045 and 1096 cm−1). Heating the surface resulted in the transformation of ethoxides to carbonates (ν COO at 1561 and 1347 cm−1) without the presence of stable acetaldehyde or formaldehyde species. By 673 K all surface species has been desorbed. The relative instability of these carbonates when compared to
CeO
2
or
Rh/CeO
2
indicates that Au is enhancing the rate of oxidation. Most of
CO
2
formed during TPD is resulting from carbonate decomposition. Catalytic reactions showed that both
CO
2
and
H
2
can be formed with high yield over a wide temperature range.