Infrared vibration–rotation selection rules for chemisorbed molecules with free internal rotation: Results for ethylidyne on Pt(111)

Quantum state-resolved gas/surface reaction dynamics probed by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy

We report the design and characterization of a new molecular-beam/surface-science apparatus for quantum state-resolved studies of gas/surface reaction dynamics combining optical state-specific reactant preparation in a molecular beam by rapid adiabatic passage with detection of surface-bound reaction products by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). RAIRS is a non-invasive infrared spectroscopic detection technique that enables online monitoring of the buildup of reaction products on the target surface during reactant deposition by a molecular beam. The product uptake rate obtained by calibrated RAIRS detection yields the coverage dependent state-resolved reaction probability S(θ). Furthermore, the infrared absorption spectra of the adsorbed products obtained by the RAIRS technique provide structural information, which help to identify nascent reaction products, investigate reaction pathways, and determine branching ratios for different pathways of a chemisorption reaction. Measurements of the dissociative chemisorption of methane on Pt(111) with this new apparatus are presented to illustrate the utility of RAIRS detection for highly detailed studies of chemical reactions at the gas/surface interface.

Thermal and electron-induced decomposition of 2-butanol on Pt(111)

The adsorption, thermal evolution, and electron irradiation of 2-butanol on Pt(111) were investigated with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). A simulated vibrational spectrum of a single 2-butanol molecule was calculated using density functional theory to facilitate vibrational assignments. Exposures of 0.2 Langmuir (L) and lower result in both isolated 2-butanol molecules with minimal lateral interactions and hydrogen-bonded clusters. The thermal evolution following a 4.0 L exposure shows that the hydrogen-bonded multilayer desorbs around 170 K, leaving a 2-butanol monolayer where hydrogen bonding still exists. At 190 K, a new feature at 1699 cm(-1) is attributed to the formation of butanone. Irradiation with 750 or 100 eV electrons leads to 2-butanol desorption and partial conversion to butanone, as indicated by the appearance of a peak at 1709 cm(-1).

Identification and Hydrogenation of C2 on Pt(111)

Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to identify the molecular species formed upon the reaction of hydrogen with surface carbon that is deposited by exposing acetylene to a Pt(111) surface held at 750 K. At this temperature, the acetylene is completely dehydrogenated and all hydrogen is desorbed from the surface. Upon subsequent hydrogen exposure at 85 K followed by sequential annealing to higher temperatures, ethylidyne (CCH3), ethynyl (CCH), and methylidyne (CH) are formed. The observation of these species indicates that carbon atoms and C2 molecules exist as stable species on the surface over a wide range of temperatures. Through a combination of RAIRS intensities, hydrogen TPD peak areas, and Auger electron spectroscopy, quantitative estimates of the coverages of the various species were obtained. It was found that 79% of the acetylene-derived carbon was in the form of C2 molecules, with the remainder in the form of carbon atoms. Essentially all of the acetylene-derived carbon could be hydrogenated. In contrast, 85% of an equivalent coverage of carbon deposited by ethylene exposure at 750 K was found to be inert toward hydrogenation.

Reversible Hydrogenation of Surface N Atoms To Form NH on Pt(111)

The formation and dissociation chemistry of the NH species on Pt(111) was characterized with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption. Irradiation of a chemisorbed bilayer of ammonia with a 100 eV electron beam at 85 K leads to a mixture of NH, N, and H on the surface. Annealing to temperatures in the range of 200-300 K leads to reaction of N and H to form additional NH. The NH species has an intense and narrow NH stretch peak at 3320 cm(-1), while no peak due to the PtNH bend is observed above 800 cm(-1). The NH species is stable up to a temperature of approximately 400 K. The surface N atoms produced from NH dissociation are readily hydrogenated back to NH by exposure of the surface to H2. However, NH cannot be further hydrogenated to generate adsorbed NH2 or to NH3 under the conditions used here. Exposure of the NH/Pt(111) surface to D2 at 380 K produces the ND species. Comparison with the results of density functional theory calculations based on small Pt clusters indicates that NH occupies three-fold hollow sites with the molecular axis perpendicular to the surface.

In search of perfection: understanding the highly defect-selective chemistry of anisotropic etching

Anisotropic etchants selectively reveal a specific crystallographic plane. Although prized industrially, these etchants are poorly understood because they target specific defect sites on a surface. New methods, which rely on a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, and infrared spectroscopy, have been developed to quantify these reactions. By correlating the measured reaction rates with the structure of the defects, information about reaction mechanisms can be obtained. These techniques have also been extended to allow for the quantification of impurity reactions such as the reaction of dissolved O2, and of nonetching additives, such as alcohols. A complementary macroscopic technique, which utilizes microfabricated arrays of miscut surfaces to measure orientation-dependent kinetics, is also described.

Infrared intensity enhancement of the CN stretch of HCN by coadsorbed CO on the Cu(100) surface

Reflection absorption infrared spectra reveal a strong enhancement in the intensity of the CN stretch in a mixed ordered overlayer of HCN and CO on the Cu(100) surface. Various combinations of HCN and CO isotopomers show that the intensity enhancement decreases with increasing frequency difference between nu(CN) and nu(CO). The intensity of the 2092 cm(-1) band of H12C14N is enhanced by a factor of 155+/-20 through coupling to the 2077 cm(-1) band of 12C16O. A simple two-state coupling model explains the isotopomer dependence of the degree of enhancement.