How does a single Pt nanocatalyst behave in two different reactions? A single-molecule study.

Using single-molecule microscopy of fluorogenic reactions we studied Pt nanoparticle catalysis at single-particle, single-turnover resolution for two reactions: one an oxidative N-deacetylation and the other a reductive N-deoxygenation. These Pt nanoparticles show distinct catalytic kinetics in these two reactions: one following noncompetitive reactant adsorption and the other following competitive reactant adsorption. In both reactions, single nanoparticles exhibit temporal activity fluctuations attributable to dominantly spontaneous surface restructuring. Depending on the reaction sequence, single Pt nanoparticles may or may not show activity correlations in catalyzing both reactions, reflecting the structure insensitivity of the N-deacetylation reaction and the structure sensitivity of the N-deoxygenation reaction.