Showing papers on "Elementary reaction published in 2017"

Mechanistic insights into electrochemical reduction of CO2 over Ag using density functional theory and transport models

Abstract: Electrochemical reduction of CO2 using renewable sources of electrical energy holds promise for converting CO2 to fuels and chemicals. Since this process is complex and involves a large number of species and physical phenomena, a comprehensive understanding of the factors controlling product distribution is required. While the most plausible reaction pathway is usually identified from quantum-chemical calculation of the lowest free-energy pathway, this approach can be misleading when coverages of adsorbed species determined for alternative mechanism differ significantly, since elementary reaction rates depend on the product of the rate coefficient and the coverage of species involved in the reaction. Moreover, cathode polarization can influence the kinetics of CO2 reduction. Here, we present a multiscale framework for ab initio simulation of the electrochemical reduction of CO2 over an Ag(110) surface. A continuum model for species transport is combined with a microkinetic model for the cathode reaction dynamics. Free energies of activation for all elementary reactions are determined from density functional theory calculations. Using this approach, three alternative mechanisms for CO2 reduction were examined. The rate-limiting step in each mechanism is **COOH formation at higher negative potentials. However, only via the multiscale simulation was it possible to identify the mechanism that leads to a dependence of the rate of CO formation on the partial pressure of CO2 that is consistent with experiments. Simulations based on this mechanism also describe the dependence of the H2 and CO current densities on cathode voltage that are in strikingly good agreement with experimental observation.

Kinetics of Electrocatalytic Reactions from First-Principles: A Critical Comparison with the Ab Initio Thermodynamics Approach.

Abstract: ConspectusMultielectron processes in electrochemistry require the stabilization of reaction intermediates (RI) at the electrode surface after every elementary reaction step. Accordingly, the bond strengths of these intermediates are important for assessing the catalytic performance of an electrode material. Current understanding of microscopic processes in modern electrocatalysis research is largely driven by theory, mostly based on ab initio thermodynamics considerations, where stable reaction intermediates at the electrode surface are identified, while the actual free energy barriers (or activation barriers) are ignored. This simple approach is popular in electrochemistry in that the researcher has a simple tool at hand in successfully searching for promising electrode materials. The ab initio TD approach allows for a rough but fast screening of the parameter space with low computational cost. However, ab initio thermodynamics is also frequently employed (often, even based on a single binding energy onl...

Mechanistic insight into the reactivity of Chlorine-derived radicals in the aqueous-phase UV–Chlorine advanced oxidation process: Quantum mechanical calculations

Abstract: The combined ultraviolet (UV) and free chlorine (UV–chlorine) advanced oxidation process that produces highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (HO•) and chlorine radicals (Cl•) is an attractive alternative to UV alone or chlorination for disinfection because of the destruction of a wide variety of organic compounds However, concerns about the potential formation of chlorinated transformation products require an understanding of the radical-induced elementary reaction mechanisms and their reaction-rate constants While many studies have revealed the reactivity of oxygenated radicals, the reaction mechanisms of chlorine-derived radicals have not been elucidated due to the data scarcity and discrepancies among experimental observations We found a linear free-energy relationship quantum mechanically calculated free energies of reaction and the literature-reported experimentally measured reaction rate constants, kexp, for 22 chlorine-derived inorganic radical reactions in the UV–chlorine process This relationship

Context-Driven Exploration of Complex Chemical Reaction Networks

Abstract: The construction of a reaction network containing all relevant intermediates and elementary reactions is necessary for the accurate description of chemical processes. In the case of a complex chemical reaction (involving, for instance, many reactants or highly reactive species), the size of such a network may grow rapidly. Here, we present a computational protocol that constructs such reaction networks in a fully automated fashion steered in an intuitive, graph-based fashion through a single graphical user interface. Starting from a set of initial reagents new intermediates are explored through intra- and intermolecular reactions of already explored intermediates or new reactants presented to the network. This is done by assembling reactive complexes based on heuristic rules derived from conceptual electronic-structure theory and exploring the corresponding approximate reaction path. A subsequent path refinement leads to a minimum-energy path which connects the new intermediate to the existing ones to for...

The reaction of Criegee intermediates with acids and enols.

Abstract: The reaction of CH2OO, the smallest carbonyl oxide (Criegee intermediate, CI), with several acids was investigated using the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//M06-2X/aug-cc-pVTZ quantum chemical method, as well as microvariational transition state theory and RRKM master equation theoretical kinetic methodologies. For oxoacids HNO3 and HCOOH, a 1,4-insertion mechanism allows for barrierless reactions with high rate coefficients, in agreement with literature experimental data. This mechanism relies on the presence of a double bond in the α-position to the acidic OH group. We predict that reactions of CI with enols will likewise have high rate coefficients, proceeding through a similar mechanism. The hydracid HCl was found to react through a less favorable 1,2-insertion reaction, leading to lower rate coefficients, again in good agreement with the literature. We conclude that the reaction mechanism is the main indicator for the reaction rate for CH2OO + acid reactions, with acidity only of secondary influence. At room temperature and 1 atm the main product for all reactions was found to be the thermalized hydroperoxide initial adduct, with minor yields of fragmentation products. One of the product channels characterized is a novel reaction path involving intramolecular H-abstraction after a roaming reaction in the OH + product radical complex formed by the dissociation of the hydroperoxide adduct; this channel is the lowest fragmentation route for some of the reactions studied.

Refractory–Slag–Metal–Inclusion Multiphase Reactions Modeling Using Computational Thermodynamics: Kinetic Model for Prediction of Inclusion Evolution in Molten Steel

Abstract: The refractory–slag–metal–inclusion multiphase reaction model was developed by integrating the refractory–slag, slag–metal, and metal–inclusion elementary reactions in order to predict the evolution of inclusions during the secondary refining processes. The mass transfer coefficient in the metal and slag phase, and the mass transfer coefficient of MgO in the slag were employed in the present multiphase reactions modeling. The “Effective Equilibrium Reaction Zone (EERZ) Model” was basically employed. In this model, the reaction zone volume per unit step for metal and slag phase, which is dependent on the ‘effective reaction zone depth’ in each phase, should be defined. Thus, we evaluated the effective reaction zone depth from the mass transfer coefficient in metal and slag phase at 1873 K (1600 °C) for the desulfurization reaction which was measured in the present study. Because the dissolution rate of MgO from the refractory to slag phase is one of the key factors affecting the slag composition, the mass transfer coefficient of MgO in the ladle slag was also experimentally determined. The calculated results for the variation of the composition of slag and molten steel as a function of reaction time were in good agreement with the experimental results. The MgAl2O4 spinel inclusion was observed at the early to middle stage of the reaction, whereas the liquid oxide inclusion was mainly observed at the final stage of the refining reaction. The content of CaO sharply increased, and the SiO2 content increased mildly with the increasing reaction time, while the content of Al2O3 in the inclusion drastically decreased. Even though there is slight difference between the calculated and measured results, the refractory–slag–metal multiphase reaction model constructed in the present study exhibited a good predictability of the inclusion evolution during ladle refining process.

On the role of resonantly stabilized radicals in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation: pyrene and fluoranthene formation from benzyl–indenyl addition

Abstract: Resonantly stabilized radicals, such as propargyl, cyclopentadienyl, benzyl, and indenyl, play a vital role in the formation and growth of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are soot precursors in engines and flames. Pyrene is considered to be an important PAH, as it is thought to nucleate soot particles, but its formation pathways are not well known. This paper presents a reaction mechanism for the formation of four-ring aromatics, pyrene and fluoranthene, through the combination of benzyl and indenyl radicals. The intermediate species and transition structures involved in the elementary reactions of the mechanism were studied using density functional theory, and the reaction kinetics were evaluated using transition state theory. The barrierless addition of benzyl and indenyl to form the adduct, 1-benzyl-1H-indene, was found to be exothermic with a reaction energy of 204.2 kJ mol−1. The decomposition of this adduct through H-abstraction and H2-loss was studied to determine the possible products. The rate-of-production analysis was conducted to determine the most favourable reactions for pyrene and fluoranthene formation. The premixed laminar flames of toluene, ethylbenzene, and benzene were simulated using a well-validated hydrocarbon fuel mechanism with detailed PAH chemistry after adding the proposed reactions to it. The computed and experimentally observed species profiles were compared to determine the effect of the new reactions for pyrene and fluoranthene formation on their concentration profiles. The role of benzyl and indenyl combination in PAH formation and growth is highlighted.

Evaluating Solvent Effects at the Aqueous/Pt(111) Interface.

Abstract: Liquid-metal interfaces occur in a number of surface processes, and it is fundamentally important to accurately model these interfaces. We have systematically determined how the presence of water affects several processes using density functional theory with implicit solvation models. We modeled adsorption of 41 common adsorbates, as well as four catalytic reactions in both vacuum and water over the Pt(111) surface. Our results show that adsorption energies for some species can change significantly in the presence of water (up to 0.44 eV). We further show that solvation effects may be explained and predicted by analyzing simple chemical descriptors such as dipole moment and adsorbate charge. We also report models from artificial neural networks using several potential descriptors, including gas-phase solvation energy, adsorbate charge, dipole moment, and surface area. When water was present reaction energies changed by up to 0.23 eV, although it appeared that water solvent negligibly affected several elementary reaction steps. Our results show that hydrogen bonding can be important for a number of reactions, which are largely absent in the implicit solvation models. Furthermore we also modeled other solvents besides water and found that when a solvent has low dielectric constant, then small solvation effects occurred. Our work provides guidelines on when solvation effects may be important for surface chemistry, and also provides valuable insights on modeling such effects.

Connecting the Elementary Reaction Pathways of Criegee Intermediates to the Chemical Erosion of Squalene Interfaces during Ozonolysis

Abstract: Criegee intermediates (CI), formed in alkene ozonolysis, are central for controlling the multiphase chemistry of organic molecules in both indoor and outdoor environments. Here, we examine the heterogeneous ozonolysis of squalene, a key species in indoor air chemistry. Aerosol mass spectrometry is used to investigate how the ozone (O3) concentration, relative humidity (RH), and particle size control reaction rates and mechanisms. Although the reaction rate is found to be independent of RH, the reaction products and particle size depend upon H2O. Under dry conditions (RH = 3%) the reaction produces high-molecular-weight secondary ozonides (SOZ), which are known skin irritants, and a modest change in particle size. Increasing the RH reduces the aerosol size by 30%, while producing mainly volatile aldehyde products, increases potential respiratory exposure. Chemical kinetics simulations link the elementary reactions steps of CI to the observed kinetics, product distributions, and changes in particle size. The simulations reveal that ozonolysis occurs near the surface and is O3-transport limited. The observed secondary ozonides are consistent with the formation of mainly secondary CI, in contrast to gas-phase ozonolysis mechanisms.

Atom Tunneling in the Water Formation Reaction H2 + OH → H2O + H on an Ice Surface

Abstract: OH radicals play a key role as an intermediate in the water formation chemistry of the interstellar medium. For example, the reaction of OH radicals with H2 molecules is among the final steps in the astrochemical reaction network starting from O, O2, and O3. Experimentally, it was shown that, even at 10 K, this reaction occurs on ice surfaces. Because the reaction has a high activation energy, only atom tunneling can explain such experimental findings. In this study, we calculated reaction rate constants for the title reaction on a water-ice Ih surface. To our knowledge, low-temperature rate constants on a surface are not available in the literature. All surface calculations were performed using a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics framework (BHLYP/TIP3P) after a thorough benchmark of different density functionals and basis sets to highly accurate correlation methods. Reaction rate constants are obtained using the instanton theory, which takes atom tunneling into account inherently, with reaction rate ...

Reliable and efficient reaction path and transition state finding for surface reactions with the growing string method

Abstract: The computational challenge of fast and reliable transition state and reaction path optimization requires new methodological strategies to maintain low cost, high accuracy, and systematic searching capabilities. The growing string method using internal coordinates has proven to be highly effective for the study of molecular, gas phase reactions, but difficulties in choosing a suitable coordinate system for periodic systems has prevented its use for surface chemistry. New developments are therefore needed, and presented herein, to handle surface reactions which include atoms with large coordination numbers that cannot be treated using standard internal coordinates. The double-ended and single-ended growing string methods are implemented using a hybrid coordinate system, then benchmarked for a test set of 43 elementary reactions occurring on surfaces. These results show that the growing string method is at least 45% faster than the widely used climbing image-nudged elastic band method, which also fails to converge in several of the test cases. Additionally, the surface growing string method has a unique single-ended search method which can move outward from an initial structure to find the intermediates, transition states, and reaction paths simultaneously. This powerful explorative feature of single ended-growing string method is demonstrated to uncover, for the first time, the mechanism for atomic layer deposition of TiN on Cu(111) surface. This reaction is found to proceed through multiple hydrogen-transfer and ligand-exchange events, while formation of H-bonds stabilizes intermediates of the reaction. Purging gaseous products out of the reaction environment is the driving force for these reactions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Molecular Modeling Clarifies the Mechanism of Chromophore Maturation in the Green Fluorescent Protein.

Abstract: We report the first complete theoretical description of the chain of elementary reactions resulting in chromophore maturation in the green fluorescent protein (GFP). All reaction steps including cyclization, dehydration, and oxidation are characterized at the uniform quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) computational level using density functional theory in quantum subsystems. Starting from a structure of the wild-type protein with the noncyclized Ser65-Tyr66-Gly67 tripeptide, we modeled cyclization and dehydration reactions. We then added molecular oxygen to the system and modeled the oxidation reaction resulting in the mature protein-bound chromophore. Computationally derived structures of the reaction product and several reaction intermediates agree well with the relevant crystal structures, validating the computational protocol. The highest computed energy barriers at the cyclization–dehydration (17 kcal/mol) and oxidation (21 kcal/mol) steps agree well with the values derived from the kineti...

Supercritical carbon dioxide as solvent in the lipase-catalyzed ethanolysis of fish oil: Kinetic study

Abstract: Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) has been used as green solvent in the lipase-catalyzed ethanolysis of fish oil by Lipozyme RM IM at mild, non-oxidative conditions and with no solvent residues. The effect of experimental conditions, initial substrate ethanol/oil molar ratio (2–38), pressure (7.5–30 MPa), and temperature (323.15–353.15 K) on equilibrium conversion, reaction rate and oxidative status of the products has been studied. No ethanol inhibition has been observed at high concentrations of ethanol, when putting in contact first the fish oil with the enzyme avoiding direct contact between the biocatalyst and ethanol. Operating pressure affected positively the reaction performance in the range investigated. Visual observation of the phase behaviour of the initial reaction mixture showed an “expanded liquid phase” that helped enhancing reaction rate, and a gas phase. Raising temperature accelerated the reaction up to a limit (343.15 K), observing higher enzyme thermal stability than in other reaction media (313.15 K). However, lipid oxidation increases with temperature. Up to 86 ± 1% FAEE yield has been found at MR = 6:1, 30 MPa and 323.15 K. Kinetic data have been correlated by using a mathematical model based on the elementary reactions of the 3-step transesterification. Kinetic rate constants, apparent activation volumes and energies are reported for the first time for a lipase-catalyzed ethanolysis reaction in SC-CO2.

A direct four-electron process on Fe–N3 doped graphene for the oxygen reduction reaction: a theoretical perspective

Abstract: As one of the potential candidates for electrocatalysis, non-precious transition metal and nitrogen co-doped graphene has attracted extensive attention in recent years. A deep understanding of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanism including the specific active sites and reaction pathways will contribute to the further enhancement of the catalytic activity. In this study, the reaction mechanism for ORR on Fe–N3 doped graphene (Fe–N3-Gra) is investigated theoretically. Our results show that Fe–N3-Gra is thermodynamically stable. The ORR elementary reactions take place within a small region around the Fe–N3 moiety and its adjacent six C atoms. HOOH does not exist on the catalyst surface, indicating a direct four-electron process for Fe–N3-Gra. The kinetically most favorable pathway is O2 hydrogenation, in which the formation of the second H2O is the rate-determining step with an energy barrier of 0.87 eV. This value is close to 0.80 eV for pure Pt, suggesting that Fe–N3-Gra could be a potential electrocatalyst. Free energy changes at different electrode potentials are also discussed.

Aerosol Fragmentation Driven by Coupling of Acid–Base and Free-Radical Chemistry in the Heterogeneous Oxidation of Aqueous Citric Acid by OH Radicals

Abstract: A key uncertainty in the heterogeneous oxidation of carboxylic acids by hydroxyl radicals (OH) in aqueous-phase aerosol is how the free-radical reaction pathways might be altered by acid-base chemistry. In particular, if acid-base reactions occur concurrently with acyloxy radical formation and unimolecular decomposition of alkoxy radicals, there is a possibility that differences in reaction pathways impact the partitioning of organic carbon between the gas and aqueous phases. To examine these questions, a kinetic model is developed for the OH-initiated oxidation of citric acid aerosol at high relative humidity. The reaction scheme, containing both free-radical and acid-base elementary reaction steps with physically validated rate coefficients, accurately predicts the experimentally observed molecular composition, particle size, and average elemental composition of the aerosol upon oxidation. The difference between the two reaction channels centers on the reactivity of carboxylic acid groups. Free-radical reactions mainly add functional groups to the carbon skeleton of neutral citric acid, because carboxylic acid moieties deactivate the unimolecular fragmentation of alkoxy radicals. In contrast, the conjugate carboxylate groups originating from acid-base equilibria activate both acyloxy radical formation and carbon-carbon bond scission of alkoxy radicals, leading to the formation of low molecular weight, highly oxidized products such as oxalic and mesoxalic acid. Subsequent hydration of carbonyl groups in the oxidized products increases the aerosol hygroscopicity and accelerates the substantial water uptake and volume growth that accompany oxidation. These results frame the oxidative lifecycle of atmospheric aerosol: it is governed by feedbacks between reactions that first increase the particle oxidation state, then eventually promote water uptake and acid-base chemistry. When coupled to free-radical reactions, acid-base channels lead to formation of low molecular weight gas-phase reaction products and decreasing particle size.

Compactness of the Lithium Peroxide Thin Film Formed in Li-O2 Batteries and Its Link to the Charge Transport Mechanism: Insights from Stochastic Simulations.

Abstract: We simulated the discharge process of Li–O2 batteries and the growth of Li2O2 thin films at the mesoscale with a novel kinetic Monte Carlo model, which combined a stochastic description of mass transport and detailed elementary reaction kinetics. The simulation results show that the ordering of the Li2O2 thin film is determined by the interplay between diffusion and reaction kinetics. Due to the fast reaction kinetics on the catalyst, the Li2O2 formed in the presence of catalyst (cat-CNF) shows a low degree of ordering and is more likely to be amorphous. Moreover, the mobility of the LiO2 ion pair, which depends largely on the nature of the electrolyte, also impacts the homogeneity of the compactness of the Li2O2 thin film. These results are of high importance for understanding the role of the catalyst and reaction kinetics in Li–O2 batteries.

Stochastic surface walking reaction sampling for resolving heterogeneous catalytic reaction network: A revisit to the mechanism of water-gas shift reaction on Cu.

Abstract: Heterogeneous catalytic reactions on surface and interfaces are renowned for ample intermediate adsorbates and complex reaction networks. The common practice to reveal the reaction mechanism is via theoretical computation, which locates all likely transition states based on the pre-guessed reaction mechanism. Here we develop a new theoretical method, namely, stochastic surface walking (SSW)-Cat method, to resolve the lowest energy reaction pathway of heterogeneous catalytic reactions, which combines our recently developed SSW global structure optimization and SSW reaction sampling. The SSW-Cat is automated and massively parallel, taking a rough reaction pattern as input to guide reaction search. We present the detailed algorithm, discuss the key features, and demonstrate the efficiency in a model catalytic reaction, water-gas shift reaction on Cu(111) (CO + H2O → CO2 + H2). The SSW-Cat simulation shows that water dissociation is the rate-determining step and formic acid (HCOOH) is the kinetically favorable product, instead of the observed final products, CO2 and H2. It implies that CO2 and H2 are secondary products from further decomposition of HCOOH at high temperatures. Being a general purpose tool for reaction prediction, the SSW-Cat may be utilized for rational catalyst design via large-scale computations.

Aromatic sulfonation with sulfur trioxide: mechanism and kinetic model

Abstract: Electrophilic aromatic sulfonation of benzene with sulfur trioxide is studied with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations in gas phase, and in explicit noncomplexing (CCl3F) and complexing (CH3NO2) solvent models. We investigate different possible reaction pathways, the number of SO3 molecules participating in the reaction, and the influence of the solvent. Our simulations confirm the existence of a low-energy concerted pathway with formation of a cyclic transition state with two SO3 molecules. Based on the simulation results, we propose a sequence of elementary reaction steps and a kinetic model compatible with experimental data. Furthermore, a new alternative reaction pathway is proposed in complexing solvent, involving two SO3 and one CH3NO2.

Oxidation of Methane to Methanol over Single Site Palladium Oxide Species on Silica: A Mechanistic view from DFT

Abstract: A theoretical analysis was carried out on the mechanism of methane oxidation to methanol occurring on single site palladium oxide species [PdO]2+ supported on a model of Al-MCM-41 silica. Both 6- and 8-membered ring structures were considered to represent the support. The energy profile for each elementary reaction was determined from density functional theory calculations with the OPBE functional. The calculated overall activation energies are close to the experimental values. Our calculations confirm that spin inversion can play a significant role in decreasing the barrier heights for the pathways. Indeed, in this type of reactions we could show a crossing between singlet and triplet reaction paths. We showed that the mechanism for the C-H bond cleavage and for the formation of methanol has a radical nature. According to our results, the [PdO]2+ species located on a 8-membered ring of silica is more active than that deposited on a 6-membered ring. The calculated activation energies to cleave the methane C-H bond are 35 and 84 kJ/mol for the radical and ionic pathways, respectively. The activation barrier and the transition state geometry of this H-abstraction step are directly correlated with the optimal angle at which the substrate should approach the [Pd═O]2+ moiety, with the elongation of the Pd-Ooxo bond and finally with the energy of the π* acceptor orbital.

Density Functional Theory Analysis of Elementary Reactions in NOx Reduction on Rh Surfaces and Rh Clusters

Abstract: The reduction of NOx is crucial for reducing air pollution from vehicle exhaust. In the presence of Rh-based catalysts, the dissociation of NO and the formation of N2O and N2 constitute the important elementary steps of NOx reduction. The present study used density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the catalytic performances of the Rh(111) surface and Rh55 and Rh147 clusters toward these elementary reactions. The NO dissociation reaction was found to have minimum activation barriers (Ea) of 0.63, 0.68, and 1.25 eV on Rh55, Rh147, and Rh(111), respectively. Therefore, it is the fastest on small Rh clusters. In contrast, the N2 formation reaction is relatively inefficient on small clusters, with corresponding Ea values of 2.14, 1.79, and 1.71 eV. Because of the stronger binding of N atoms to the Rh clusters than to the Rh surface, N2 formation through the recombination of N atoms has a higher Ea value on Rh clusters. The calculated reaction rate constants confirmed that small Rh clusters are less react...

Kinetic aspects of chain growth in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Abstract: Microkinetics simulations are used to investigate the elementary reaction steps that control chain growth in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. Chain growth in the FT reaction on stepped Ru surfaces proceeds via coupling of CH and CR surface intermediates. Essential to the growth mechanism are C-H dehydrogenation and C hydrogenation steps, whose kinetic consequences have been examined by formulating two novel kinetic concepts, the degree of chain-growth probability control and the thermodynamic degree of chain-growth probability control. For Ru the CO conversion rate is controlled by the removal of O atoms from the catalytic surface. The temperature of maximum CO conversion rate is higher than the temperature to obtain maximum chain-growth probability. Both maxima are determined by Sabatier behavior, but the steps that control chain-growth probability are different from those that control the overall rate. Below the optimum for obtaining long hydrocarbon chains, the reaction is limited by the high total surface coverage: in the absence of sufficient vacancies the CHCHR → CCHR + H reaction is slowed down. Beyond the optimum in chain-growth probability, CHCR + H → CHCHR and OH + H → H2O limit the chain-growth process. The thermodynamic degree of chain-growth probability control emphasizes the critical role of the H and free-site coverage and shows that at high temperature, chain depolymerization contributes to the decreased chain-growth probability. That is to say, during the FT reaction chain growth is much faster than chain depolymerization, which ensures high chain-growth probability. The chain-growth rate is also fast compared to chain-growth termination and the steps that control the overall CO conversion rate, which are O removal steps for Ru.