A combined use of DFT periodic calculations and spectroscopic studies (IR and solid-state NMR) s
hows t
hata
![](/images/gifc<font color=)
hars/gamma.gif" BORDER=0 >-alumina treated at 500
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C under
hig
h vacuum contains surface defects, w
hic
h are very reactive toward H
2or CH
4. T
he reaction of H
2 on defect sites occurs at low temperature (ca. 25
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C) on two types of Al atomsof low coordination numbers, Al
III or Al
IV, to give Al
IV-H and Al
V-H, respectively. T
he amount of defectsas titrated by H
2 at 25 and 150
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C is 0.043 and 0.069 site/nm
2, respectively, in comparison wit
h 4 OH/nm
2).In contrast, CH
4 reacts selectively at 100-150
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C on t
he most reactive Al
III sites to form t
he correspondingAl
IV-CH
3 (0.030 site/nm
2). T
he difference of reactivity of H
2 and CH
4 is fully consistent wit
h calculations(reaction and activitation energy,
![](/images/gifc<font color=)
hars/Delta.gif" BORDER=0 >
E and
![](/images/gifc<font color=)
hars/Delta.gif" BORDER=0 >
E
hermod.gif">).