DIRECT VIBRATIONAL DETECTION OF SURFACE-REACTION CHANNELS LEADING TO CO DISSOCIATION AND TO ITS INHIBITION ON MO(110)

Alternate surface reaction channels involving CO dissociation and the inhibition of dissociation on Mo(110) have been detected directly by vibrational studies using EELS. The CO species that exhibit a nu(CO) of 1345 cm-1 can be converted completely to adsorbed atomic carbon and atomic oxygen via an intermediate with nu(CO) = 1130 cm-1. Alternatively, when oxygen is chemisorbed with the CO species that exhibit a nu(CO) of 1345 cm-1, CO dissociation is inhibited, and the CO is converted to CO species with nu(CO) almost-equal-to 2000 cm-1 via an intermediate species with nu(CO) of 1465-1535 cm-1.