A RAIRS study of higher alkoxide species on oxygen-modified Cu(100)

Abstract

The adsorption and reaction of the higher alcohols propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol and 2-methylpropan-2-ol on an oxygen-modified Cu(100) surface have been studied with reflection–absorption IR spectroscopy (RAIRS). All three alcohols reacted with the modified surface well below room temperature, undergoing OH bond scission to form alkoxide surface species. These alkoxides remained stable to well above room temperature, the specific desorption/decomposition temperature correlating with the availability of ‘activated’ CH bonds proximal to the CO moiety. By comparison with literature values for the alcohol spectra, assignments of the vibrational modes were made. The metal surface selection rule was applied and the most likely surface orientations for each alkoxide were found to involve CO bonds perpendicular or near perpendicular to the surface.