On the bond lengths reported for chemisorption on metal surfaces

The bond lengths and geometrical arrangements reported with multiple-scattering analyses of LEED intensities for chemisorption on metal surfaces are assessed with Pauling's bond length-bond order relation. The approach here is partly empirical and it depends on information on the atomic valencies; the hybridisation model proposed for metals by Altmann, Coulson and Hume-Rothery is also used to guide the allocation of bonding electrons for the purposes of estimating the orders of surface bonds. It is shown that this framework allows estimates of surface bond lengths to within 0.1 Å of the values reported with LEED, and often the correspondence is substantially closer. Other factors that are likely to influence surface bond lengths have been recognised, but refinements to the present analysis should probably await clarifications of uncertainties in the structures determined with LEED including, for some chemisorption systems, consideration of possible displacements of metal atoms.