Study of adsorption and decomposition of acetic acid on Rh(100) by HREELS and TDS

The adsorption and decomposition of acetic acid on Rh(100) surface have been studied using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). Acetic acid of high exposure formed multilayer on the Rh(100) surface. While the temperature was increased to 290 K, the multilayer acetic acid desorbed and the remainder became a surface O-bonded acetate species and H adatoms. through the G-H bond cleavage. Between 290 K and 400 K, the acetate species underwent two competing reactions: formation of CO2 and adsorbed CHx and H via C-C and C-H bond cleavage, and formation of adsorbed CO, CHx O and H via C-C, C-O and C-H bond cleavage. While heated to 500 K, the adsorbed surface remainders were CO, CHx and O adatoms. After heated to 600 K, the adsorbed surface CHx decomposed completely, and the adsorbed surface carbon species recombined with oxygen adatoms to be desorbed as molecular carbon monoxide.