Isolation of an intrinsic precursor to molecular chemisorption
Over the past 70 years, numerous gas-surface adsorption studies have indicated the existence of a weakly bound, mobile intermediate that is a precursor to chemical bond formation. The direct observation and characterization of such a species are presented. Precursor and chemisorbed benzene on a silicon surface were clearly distinguished with the use of a tunable-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. Precursor decay to chemisorption was observed, allowing the salient features of the potential energy surface to be determined.
Brown
DE
National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada.
Moffatt
DJ
Wolkow
RA