Photoemission and first-principles DF calculations were used to study the interaction of thiophene with TiC(001) and Au/TiC(001) surfaces. The adsorption strength of thiophene on TiC(001) is weak, and the molecule desorbs at temperatures below 200 K. The molecule binds to Ti centers of TiC(001) through its sulfur atom with negligible structural perturbations. In spite of the very poor desulfurization performance of TiC(001) or Au(111), a Au/TiC(001) system displays a hydrodesulfurization activity higher than that of conventional Ni/MoSx catalysts. The Au <-> TiC(001) interactions induce a polarization of electron density around Au which substantially increases the chemical reactivity of this metal. Au nanoparticles drastically increase the hydrodesulfurization activity of TiC(001) by enhancing the bonding energy of thiophene and by helping in the dissociation of H-2 to produce the hydrogen necessary for the hydrogenolysis of C-S bonds and the removal of sulfur. H-2 spontaneously dissociates on small two-dimensional clusters of gold in contact with TiC(001). On these systems, the adsorption energy of thiophene is 0.45-0.65 eV larger than that on TiC(001) or Au(111). Thiophene binds in a eta(5) configuration with a large elongation (similar to 0.2 angstrom) of the C-S bonds.