Observing metal-catalyzed chemical reactions in situ using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on Pd-Au nanoshells

The direct spectroscopic study of the catalytic hydrodechlorination of 1,1-dichloroethene in [H.sub.2]O by using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is presented. The results have provided the evidence of the room-temperature catalytic hydrochlorination of a chlorinated solvent, an important pathway for groundwater cleanup, as a sequence of dechlorination and hydrogenation steps.