Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy study of the potential dependence of thymine on silver electrodes

The potential-induced changes in thymine coordination on polycrystalline silver electrodes are studied by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for potentials positive to the potential of zero charge up to the end of the double layer range. Two distinct sets of spectra could be obtained in the range of potentials studied. Both states correspond to chemisorbed phases of thymine on silver, where a distinct heteroatom is deemed responsible for the bond with the surface. At less positive potentials, one of the ring oxygen atoms is responsible for the chemical bond and the molecule assumes a tilted position. At more positive potentials, one of the ring nitrogen atoms, possibly deprotonated, establishes a new bond with the surface, aligning the molecule's axis closer to the surface normal.This paper is dedicated to Prof. Wolf Vielstich on the occasion of his 80th birthday for his outstanding contributions to electrochemistry