Reactive adsorption of thiophene on Au(1Â 1Â 1) from solution

The adsorption state of thiophene on Au(1 1 1) formed with the immersion method was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). The S 2p XPS spectra indicate that the thiolate, not thiophene, is adsorbed on the Au surface with the Au-S bond. The results of C K-edge NEXAFS reveal that the adsorbed species on Au(1 1 1) are mainly saturated hydrocarbons. This is in clear contrast with the vacuum-deposited thiophene on Au(1 1 1), in which thiophene is molecularly adsorbed on the surface.