The Adsorption of Hydrogen at Copper Surfaces: A Model System for the Study of Activated Adsorption

One of the most exciting challenges of present-day surface science is the task of developing a detailed microscopic picture of surface chemical reactions. This task involves understanding the intra- and inter-molecular motions of species, as they undergo chemical change at a surface, and understanding the related issues of the energy requirements, energy flow, and energy disposal for these microscopic interactions. Studies directed at describing atomic and molecular motion and the interplay between molecular motion and energy throughout a surface process, such as chemisorption, physisorption, or scattering, define the field of surface chemical dynamics. The descriptions acquired from studies of surface dynamics can range from simple conceptual models, which yield insight into qualitative aspects of molecular interactions, to detailed theories, which provide quantitative information about dynamical processes.