In this investigation, a similar degree of surface shell reduction among a series of metal promoted ceria catalysts was established by diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) measurements. Surface formate species were generated by reaction of CO with bridging OH groups associated with the Ce3+ defect sites. The thermal decomposition of the pseudo-stable formates was followed in the absence of H2O. Decomposition and exchange from H to D of the pseudo-stabilized formate was enhanced by changing the promoter from Au to Pt. Likewise, an increase was observed in both decomposition and exchange rates by increasing the promoter loading from 0.5 to 2.5 wt.%. The results suggest that C-H bond breaking is facilitated during this thermal decomposition (i.e., reverse decomposition to CO and -01-1). Therefore, since the rate limiting step of the forward formate decomposition (i.e., the WGS reaction) is strongly suggested to be associated with C-H bond cleaving in the formate intermediate (based on earlier kinetic isotope effect and isotopic tracer studies), the results can explain the promotion in the WGS rates as observed by changing from Au to Pt and by increased promoter loading. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved.