Adsorption of Pyridine on Au(110) as Measured by Reflection Anisotropy Spectroscopy

Abstract

The reflection anisotropy spectra of pyridine adsorbed onto a Au(110) surface in an electrochemical cell demonstrates that this system forms an ordered structure. The reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) of pyridine/Au(110) is attributed to transitions which are shifted from their position in gas-phase spectra by the effects of the interaction of the N lone pair orbitals with the Au(110) surface. The time dependence of the reflection anisotropy spectrum of the pyridine/Au(110) system shows that after the initial onset of pyridine adsorption it takes for the system to yield the spectrum of the equilibrium ordered structure. A similar time is required for the RAS signal to return to that of the Au(110) surface following the desorption of pyridine. © 2003 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.