On the single accessible structure of Pt 4 Ge, ethane can bind to two different Pt atoms, as depicted in Fig. ; in each configuration one of the C-H bonds is activated and the bond length is elongated from 1.11 Å to 1.14 Å. The adsorption of ethane on Pt 4 Ge 2 results in a large number of possible configurations, with the most stable one arising from the GM Pt 4 Ge 2 geometry. The most stable cluster+ethane configuration from each cluster minima is shown in Fig. . Pt 4 Ge 2 also activates ethane and lengthens one C-H bond up to 1.15 Å.