CO2 selective reduction to CO with H2 over a CeO2-supported nano-Au catalyst at atmospheric pres- sure was investigated. A high CO2 conversion, approaching the thermodynamic equilibrium value, and nearly 100% CO selectivity were obtained. The surface formate intermediates generated during the reverse water-gas shift reaction at 400 ℃ were identified using in situ diffuse-reflectance infra- red Fourier-transform spectroscopy. The formate consumption to give CO and H20, determined using mass spectrometry, indicated that the reaction proceeded via an associative formate mecha- nism; this contributes to the high Au/CeO2 catalytic activity at low temperatures.
