Coordination chemistry involving oxide catalysts

The application of various spectroscopic techniques to investigate the coordination of transition metal ions is reviewed using examples which include the preparation of highly dispersed catalysts, the investigation of the coordination sphere of supported transition metal ions on oxide surfaces, the coordination sphere of catalytically active sites and the migration of transition metal ions into the bulk of oxides during catalyst pretreatment. The features of coordination chemistry for supported transition metal ions appear to be very similar to their solution analogues and the same concepts can thus be applied.