0 Copyright 1989 American Chemical Society
The ACS Journal of
Surfaces and Colloids NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1989 VOLUME 5 , NUMBER 6
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rSy m p os ta Symposium on Metal-Catalyzed Reactions of Heteroatom-Containing Molecules: Preface The Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry sponsored a symposium entitled “Metal-Catalyzed Reactions of Heteroatom-ContainingMolecules” at the 196th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Los Angeles, CA, Sept 25-30,1988. This symposium was part of the division’s continuing symposium series on Molecular Phenomena at Solid Surfaces. Reactions of organo-heteroatom compounds have a variety of applications. The best known is heteroatom removal from petroleum feedstocks, such as practiced in hydrodesulfurization (HDS) or hydrodenitrogenation (HDN). These processes make use of modified supported metal catalysts (typically tungsten or molybdenum sulfide) to catalyze the breaking of C-S or C-N bonds. The symposium invited a number of speakers to address various aspects of the catalysis of heteroatom bond cleavage. They addressed the issue from the viewpoints of (i) petroleum engineers, who were interested in catalyst preparation and treatment; (ii) surface scientists, who were examining the fundamental steps in adsorption and reaction on well-defined surfaces; (iii) inorganic chemists, who were examining the fundamentals of bonding and reactions of heteroatom compounds in organometallic complexes; and (iv) theoretical chemists, who have been exploring the nature of bonding to surfaces. Beyond the heteroatom removal chemistry, there are two related areas of heteroatom compounds reacting on metal surfaces involving surface polymerization. Heteroatom compounds are used in photoresist materials to prepare lithographic patterns. The interactions of these materials with metals is vital to questions of adhesion and photoinduced reactions. The last 10 years has also seen the development of electrically conducting polymer films prepared by the surface polymerization of thiophene, pyrrole, aniline, and other heteroatom compounds. Some recent work has shown that the electrocatalytic deposition reactions may also be carried out on active metal surfaces. The symposium on metal-catalyzed reactions of heteroatom-containing molecules brought together over 20 speakers who addressed the broad range of issues associated with reactivity and bonding of heteroatom compounds at metal surfaces. From this collection of speakers, a representative group willingly contributed a collection of manuscripts for publication in Langmuir. These manuscripts represent outstanding contributions to elucidation of organo-heteroatom chemistry at interfaces and bring together diverse views for the readers of Langmuir. Jay Benziger Department of Chemical Engineering Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey 08544-5263
