Atomic Structure of the Copper Catalyst (IMAGE)

Academy of Finland

Atomic Structure of the Copper Catalyst

Caption

Atomic structure of the copper catalyst used in the hydrogenation reaction of a carbon-oxygen bond. Formaldehyde H2CO (on the left), used as the model molecule in the simulations, takes two hydrogens from the copper; they move to the carbon-oxygen bond so that the molecule changes into a simple alcohol (methanol CH3OH on the right). After the reaction, a hydrogen molecule (blue, on the left) in the vicinity splits into two hydrogen atoms inside the copper.

Credit

Sami Malola, University of Jyväskylä

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