ABSTRACT
In chemical synthesis today, high value can be achieved through the design and application of highly selective catalytic chemistry. Very high selectivity provides a means to eliminate undesirable pollutants and byproducts and achieve the required economics for commercial production. Both homogeneous and enzyme catalytic reaction chemistries are considered primary sources of very high selectivity catalysis. Because of the robustness of reaction conditions often required for heterogeneous catalytic systems, they are not usually the systems of first choice for high selectivity, especially for oxidation reactions. The development of heterogeneous surfaces of defined structure is hindered by the inherent challenges of characterizing the structure of the needed active sites, and also is constrained by the limited range of economically viable synthesis methods for the scaled synthesis of surfaces with the desired structural components. Added to this is the inevitability of surface reconstruction of the catalyst upon use in the chemical reaction! Not surprisingly, the empirical methods of catalyst development are still heavily relied upon. There is plenty of challenge for the heterogeneous catalyst designer seeking high selectivity chemistry. Thus, a great opportunity and need continues to exist for discovery of better surface structural characterization methods, especially in situ methods, and a much expanded synthetic toolbox for surface structure design and control.
