Electron energy loss spectrum of cyanogen on Pt (100)

Electron energy loss spectra for adsorbed cyanogen on Pt(100) are presented, and discussed in terms of possible models suggested by other techniques. Adsorbate induced loss features are found at 11 and 14 eV, and these are associated with levels below the Fermi level as observed in ultra-violet photoemission. As in the case of CO adsorption losses in the adsorbed phase occur at energies significantly larger than in the gas phase, indicating an upward shift of the final 2π¹ state due to mixing with metal orbitais. Thermal desorption studies of C₂N₂ on Pt clearly resolve α and β phases, but there is some controversy over whether the β phase involves mainly single CN units bonding to the metal, whether C₂N₂ is molecularly adsorbed, or whether paracyanogenlike structures form at the surface. The electron spectroscopic evidence is examined, and is shown on balance to support adsorption in some molecular form.