title: Communication: angle-resolved thermal dissociative sticking of CH4 on Pt(111): further indication that rotation is a spectator to the gas-surface reaction dynamics.
abstract: Effusive molecular beam measurements of angle-resolved thermal dissociative sticking coefficients for CH(4) impinging on a Pt(111) surface, at a temperature of 700 K, are reported and compared to theoretical predictions. The reactivity falls off steeply as the molecular angle of incidence increases away from the surface normal. Successful modeling of the thermal dissociative sticking behavior, consistent with existent CH(4) supersonic molecular beam experiments involving rotationally cold molecules, required that rotation be treated as a spectator degree of freedom.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4319, USA.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Navin
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Donald
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Tinney
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Cushing
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Harrison