Infrared reflection absorption spectroscopic studies on the adsorption structures of dimethyl sulfide and methyl ethyl sulfide on Ag(110) and Cu(110)

Infrared reflection absorption (IRA) spectra were measured for dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3, DMS) and methyl ethyl sulfide (CH3SCH2CH3, MES) with increasing exposure to metal substrates, Ag(1 1 0) and Cu(1 1 0), at 80 K. The spectral simulations performed by using the DFT calculation at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level indicated that (i) DMS adsorbs on the substrates with the CSC plane appreciably tilted from the surface normal, the tilt angle being about 80degrees for the adsorbate on Ag(1 1 0) and about 60degrees for the adsorbate on Cu(1 1 0), (ii) MES on Ag(1 1 0) at a submonolayer coverage state takes on the trans form with the molecular plane tilted from the surface normal by about 60degrees, and (iii) MES on Cu(1 1 0) takes the gauche form with the CSC plane almost perpendicular to the surface. The tilting of DMS is contrasted to dimethyl ether (DME) adsorbs on Ag(1 1 0) and Cu(1 1 0), where the molecular plane is perpendicular to the substrate surfaces [J. Phys. Chem. B 106 (2002) 3469]. The adsorption structures of DMS and DME are mainly determined by the coordination of the sulfur and oxygen atoms, the sulfur atom tending to coordinate to the Ag and Cu atoms through one of the 3p lone pairs (atop coordination) and the oxygen atom to the metal atoms through both of the 2p lone pairs (bridging coordination). It has been known that methyl ethyl ether (MEE) on Ag(1 1 0) takes on the trans form with the molecular plane tilted by about 45degrees and MEE on Cu(1 1 0) the gauche form with the COC plane almost perpendicular to the surface [J. Phys. Chem. B 107 (2003) 5008]. These results suggest that an attractive van der Waals interaction between the ethyl group of the adsorbates and the substrate surfaces play an important role in addition to the coordination of the sulfur and oxygen atoms in determining the rotational isomerism and orientation of MES and MEE on Ag(1 1 0) and Cu(1 1 0). (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.