Effect of the metallic particle size of supported Pt catalysts on methylcyclopentane hydrogenolysis: Understanding of the ring opening products distribution by a geometric approach

[Display omitted] •Platinum-based catalysts with size ranging from 0.91 to 2.41 nm were synthesized.•Pt particle size effect on methylcyclopentane ring-opening product distribution was evaluated.•Over-production of n-hexane was observed for smaller Pt particles.•Dedicated active sites were identified for the three reaction products.•A geometric model accounting for this product distribution was developed and validated. Hydrogenolysis of methylcyclopentane was studied in the presence of supported platinum catalysts, with particle sizes between 0.9 and 2.4 nm. The distribution of ring-opening products (n-hexane, 2-methylpentane, 3-methylpentane), which are virtually the only products at 573 K, mainly depended on the platinum particle size, with no effect of the methylcyclopentane conversion. This distribution was well described by the selective or non-selective mechanisms previously proposed in the literature except for the smallest particles (d