Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 88: Catalysis and surface reactions III
O 88.2: Talk
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 15:15–15:30, TRE/MATH
Molecular Beam Surface Scattering and PECD to Probe Chirality in Surface Reaction Products — Arved Dorst1,2, Johannes Diedrich1,2, Rasika Dissayanake1,2, and •Tim Schäfer1,2 — 1Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Germany — 2Max-Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
The epoxidation of olefins on Ag/O systems is an important industrial heterogeneous catalytic process. However, the mechanistic details of the surface reaction remain controversial, and it has been highly challenging to reconcile findings obtained under realistic reaction conditions with the highly detailed but static studies performed under ultra-high vacuum (UHV).
An additional level of complexity and opportunity arises when using prochiral olefin molecules. Their epoxidation can yield chiral epoxide products, provided the reaction pathway can be directed toward one enantiomer. In our studies, we combine molecular-beam surface scattering with laser spectroscopy to probe this process. By detecting the photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) of the reaction products, we are able to determine their absolute chirality.
Our overarching goal is to achieve an atomistic understanding of reaction dynamics on chiral surfaces, ultimately bridging the gap between UHV studies and catalytic behavior under operational conditions.
Keywords: Molecular Beam Surface Scattering; Photoelectron Circular Dichroism; Epoxidation; Laser Spectroscopy; Ag(111)