Efficient and Selective Carbon-Carbon Coupling on Coke-Resistant PdAu Single-Atom Alloys

We demonstrate that PdAu single-atom alloy model catalysts offer a heterogeneous route to selective Wurtz-type C–C coupling. Specifically, when methyl iodide is exposed to an otherwise unreactive Au(111) surface, single Pd atoms in the surface layer promote C–I dissociation and C–C coupling, leading to the selective formation of ethane.