Electron energy loss spectroscopy of ethylene on Ag(110) precovered with oxygen: energy dependence of the cross section

The intensities of the CH out-of-plane bending (v₇) and CH stretch (v₁) vibrations of ethylene adsorbed on Ag(l 10) precovered with oxygen have been measured in EELS as a function of beam energy from 2 to 20 eV. The energy dependence of the v₇ vibration is satisfactorily described by the dipole approximation. For the v₁ vibration, which is purely dipole forbidden, an entirely different energy dependence is found, with a maximum intensity at a beam energy of 2 eV. Comparison of the EEL intensities observed experimentally with those predicted from the dipole moments of the free molecule confirms the conclusion that the molecular plane of chemisorbed ethylene is parallel to the surface.