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Reaction Conditions of Methane-to-Methanol Conversion Affect the Structure of Active Copper Sites
Determining the structure of the active Cu sites, which are associated with the methane conversion intermediate during stepwise, low-temperature, methane-to-methanol conversion, represents an important step for the upgrade of this reaction route to a viable process. Quick X-ray absorption spectroscopy allowed us to follow the electronic and structural changes to the active Cu sites during reaction with methane and during desorption of the activated intermediate. A large fraction (41%) of the oxygen-activated CuII reacted with methane and underwent reduction to CuI.