The role of surface compounds in the oscillating anodic reactions on nanostructured electrodes has been examined by computer simulation of the oscillating anodic oxidation of formaldehyde on Ag nanostructures and the oscillating reaction design based on the autocatalytic reduction of Pd surface compounds by hypophosphite in Ag-Pd nanostructures. Experiments and computer simulations show that the surface compounds may be responsible for the complex non-linear phenomena in the nanostructured systems.