A vibrational study of ammonia chemisorbed on Ni(110) and Ni(111): whither goest the metal-nitrogen stretching mode on FCC (111) surfaces?

The adsorption of ammonia on the Ni(110) and Ni(111) surfaces has been studied with high resolution (≤ 65 cm_?1) electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) combined with thermal desorption spectroscopy. The EELS spectra of the initial chemisorbed layer or α state on each surface are very different. Ammonia chemisorbed on the Ni(110) surface exhibits a strong Ni-N stretching mode at 570 cm^?1 which is absent on the Ni(111) surface. The Ammonia adsorption site appears to be different on the Ni(110) and Ni(111) surfaces. We suggest that the absence of the M-N stretching mode on the Ni(111) surface is a general characteristic of the ammonia adsorption site on the (111) surfaces of fcc Group VIII metals.