Active Sites on Oxide Surfaces: ZnO‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Methanol from CO and H2

Is this place taken? A mechanism has been proposed for the formation of methanol from CO and H2 on ZnO surfaces in which CO is adsorbed at oxygen vacancies on the heterogeneous catalyst (see picture: C red, H white, O gray, Zn black). The active sites are blocked when CO2 is added to the gas mixture.