Effect of different oxygen species originating from the dissociation of O2, N2O and NO on the selectivity of the Pt-catalysed NH3 oxidation

An effect of oxygen species formed from O2, N2O and NO on the selectivity of the catalytic oxidation of ammonia was studied over a polycrystalline Pt catalyst using the temporal analysis of products (TAP) reactor. The transient experiments were performed in the temperature range between 773 and 1073 K in a sequential pulse mode with a time interval of 0.2 s between the pulses of the oxidant (O2, N2O and NO) and NH3. In contrast to adsorbed oxygen species formed from NO, those from O2 and N2O reacted with ammonia yielding NO. It is suggested that the difference between these oxidising agents may be related to the different active sites for dissociation of O2, N2O and NO, where oxygen species of various Pt-O strength are formed. Weaker bound oxygen species, which are active for NO formation, originate from O2 and N2O rather than from NO. These species may be of bi-atomic nature.