title: Thermal hydrogen-atom transfer from methane: the role of radicals and spin states in oxo-cluster chemistry.
abstract: Hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT), as one of the fundamental reactions in chemistry, is investigated with state-of-the-art gas-phase experiments in conjunction with computational studies. The focus of this Minireview concerns the role that the intrinsic properties of gaseous oxo-clusters play to permit HAT reactivity from saturated hydrocarbons at ambient conditions. In addition, mechanistic implications are discussed which pertain to heterogeneous catalysis. From these combined experimental/computational studies, the crucial role of unpaired spin density at the abstracting atom becomes clear, in distinct contrast to recent conclusions derived from solution-phase experiments.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dietl
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schlangen
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwarz