New approaches 10 Surface reactions are reviewed in comparison with reaction dynamics in the gas phase. These are commonly based on product analysis before energy dissipation, in contrast to I lie chemical kinetics Of surface reactions Information of energy partitioning during reaction events is requisite to approach to reaction sites In reactant adsorption, electronic excitations are exemplified to take place, showing non-adiabatic processes On the other hand. in product desorption, spatial and energy distributions of desorbing products with hyperthermal energy can deliver the most direct structural Information of the transition state Including active intermediates and product formation sites Typical analyses are shown in both N2O decomposition and CO oxidation on noble metals. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.