The book is a multi-author survey (in 15 chapters) of the current state of knowledge and recent developments in our understanding of oxide surfaces. The author list includes most of the acknowledged world experts in this field. The material covered includes fundamental theory and experimental studies of the geometrical, vibrational and electronic structure of such surfaces, but with a special emphasis on the chemical properties and associated reactivity. The main focus is on metal oxides but coverage extends from 'simple' rocksalt materials such as MgO through to complex transition metal oxides with different valencies.

Manuela Mura's thesis is devoted to ab initio studies of self-assembled organic molecules on a gold surface. This area of research is particularly vibrant because of the various applications such studies have in nanoscience and surface chemistry and physics. In this thesis Manuela Mura uses theory to suggest atomistic models for the observed assembled and she proposes an assembly mechanism. The methods and results developed as part of this work will be of wide interest to physicists and chemists working on the assemblies of organic molecules on crystal surfaces.

Molecular surface science has made enormous progress in the past 30 years. The development can be characterized by a revolution in fundamental knowledge obtained from simple model systems and by an explosion in the number of experimental techniques. The last 10 years has seen an equally rapid development of quantum mechanical modeling of surface processes using Density Functional Theory (DFT). Chemical Bonding at Surfaces and Interfaces focuses on phenomena and concepts rather than on experimental or theoretical techniques. The aim is to provide the common basis for describing the interaction of atoms and molecules with surfaces and this to be used very broadly in science and technology. The book begins with an overview of structural information on surface adsorbates and discusses the structure of a number of important chemisorption systems. Chapter 2 describes in detail the chemical bond between atoms or molecules and a metal surface in the observed surface structures. A detailed description of experimental information on the dynamics of bond-formation and bond-breaking at surfaces make up Chapter 3. Followed by an in-depth analysis of aspects of heterogeneous catalysis based on the d-band model. In Chapter 5 adsorption and chemistry on the enormously important Si and Ge semiconductor surfaces are covered. In the remaining two Chapters the book moves on from solid-gas interfaces and looks at solid-liquid interface processes. In the final chapter an overview is given of the environmentally important chemical processes occurring on mineral and oxide surfaces in contact with water and electrolytes. - Gives examples of how modern theoretical DFT techniques can be used to design heterogeneous catalysts - This book suits the rapid introduction of methods and concepts from surface science into a broad range of scientific disciplines where the interaction between a solid and the surrounding gas or liquid phase is an essential component - Shows how insight into chemical bonding at surfaces can be applied to a range of scientific problems in heterogeneous catalysis, electrochemistry, environmental science and semiconductor processing - Provides both the fundamental perspective and an overview of chemical bonding in terms of structure, electronic structure and dynamics of bond rearrangements at surfaces

As in the study of transition metal complexes in solution, molecular spectroscopic methods - principally the infrared, ultraviolet/visible and electron spin resonance spectroscopies - have played key roles in establishing the concepts of coordination chemistry occurring at the surfaces of solids. This book describes the development of the principals of coordination chemistry of oxide surfaces using analyses of data obtained by these methods. The nature, properties, concentration of the surface adsorption centers and their influence on the character of interaction with different molecules are investigated. The book commences with an account of the basic theoretical principles and experimental techniques of the various spectroscopy methods, with special attention devoted to in situ measurements where the oxide or catalyst sample is in contact with the adsorbate or the reactant. A detailed account is presented of the methods for characterizing the oxidation state and degree of coordination of surface cations and oxygen anions by the adsorption of probe molecules. The complexation of many inorganic, organometallic and organic molecules with different oxide systems is critically examined, and a classification of formed surface compounds, based on the interaction with definite type of adsorption centers, is given. Possible mechanisms of numerous catalytic reactions, including the transformation of organic molecules over acidic catalysts via the carboionic mechanism, are discussed using the spectroscopic identifications of reaction intermediates. A comprehensive analysis of the literature on the interpretation of the spectra of surface compounds on oxides is presented. This highly illustrated and extensively referenced volume is intended for specialists working in the fields of surface physical chemistry, surface and materials sciences, and adsorption phenomena and is essential reading for those involved in the heterogeneous catalysis by transition metal-oxides.

Organic molecules experience appealing applications in the industry of electronic devices. The key to developing the functionality of these applications lies in the thorough understanding of the electronic structure of the employed molecules and their interactions with the unavoidable surfaces. In the first part of this thesis, state-of-the-art density functional theory (DFT) calculations in close collaboration with experiment have been presented to exemplary address the on-surface structure formation in the prototypical (i) perylene-based diindenoperylene molecule (DIP) on a reactive surface and in (ii) a functional molecule with a nonuniform internal charge distribution, namely the perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diahydride(PTCDA), on ionic surfaces. For both systems, the adsorption mechanisms have been rationalised and compared. The second part of this thesis presents a DFT-guided multi-technique investigation on the interfacial chemistry of a macrocyclic low-symmetry molecule, namely the free-base5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corroles (H3TpFPC), adsorbed on Ag(111). Combining structural modelling with high-level calculations of relevant X-ray core-levels and absorption edges, a detailed insight into the complex on-surface chemistry of corroles has been achieved. Beside corroborating the on-surface reactions and providing valuable information on the geometries of corrolic species, it is demonstrated that theory-assisted near edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy enables the site-sensitive monitoring of on-surface chemical reactions, thus, providing information not accessible by other techniques. ; eng