Mass spectrometric analysis of the anionic products of interaction between platinum atomic anions, Pt- , and methane, CH4 and CD4 , in a collision cell shows the preferred generation of [PtCH4 ]- and [PtCD4 ]- complexes and a low tendency toward dehydrogenation. [PtCH4 ]- is shown to be H-Pt-CH3 - by a synergy between anion photoelectron spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, implying the rupture of a single C-H bond. The calculated reaction pathway accounts for the observed selective activation of methane by Pt- . This study presents the first example of methane activation by a single atomic anion.
Keywords: C−H bond activation; ab initio calculation; anion photoelectron spectroscopy; methane; platinum.
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