Atomic structure, synchrotron-based spectroscopy

Studies by Teplyakov et al. provided the experimental evidence for the formation of the Diels-Alder reaction product at the Si(100)-2 x 1 surface [239,240]. A combination of surface-sensitive techniques was applied to make the assignment, including surface infrared (vibrational) spectroscopy, thermal desorption studies, and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Vibrational spectroscopy in particular provides a molecular fingerprint and is useful in identifying bonding and structure in the adsorbed molecules. An analysis of the vibrational spectra of adsorbed butadiene on Si(100)-2 x 1 in which several isotopic forms of butadiene (i.e., some of the H atoms were substituted with D atoms) were compared showed that the majority of butadiene molecules formed the Diels-Alder reaction product at the surface. Very good agreement was also found between the experimental vibrational spectra obtained by Teplyakov et al. [239,240] and frequencies calculated for the Diels-Alder surface adduct by Konecny and Doren [237,238]. 

Mineral-liquid or mineral-gas interfaces under reactive conditions cannot be studied easily using standard UHV surface science methods. To overcome the pressure gap between ex situ UHV measurements and the in situ reactivity of surfaces under atmospheric pressure or in contact with a liquid, new approaches are required, some of which have only been introduced in the last 20 years, including scanning tunneling microscopy [28,29], atomic force microscopy [30,31], non-linear optical methods [32,33], synchrotron-based surface scattering [34—38], synchrotron-based X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy [39,40], X-ray standing wave... 

Among the various spectroscopic methods, the most notable one is synchrotron-based X-ray techniques that are revolutionizing soil and environmental chemistry research (Manceau et al, 1992). The most utilized synchrotron-based X-ray technique in soil and environmental chemistry to date has been X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) provides specific information on the local environment of the absorber, including coordination number, identity, and distances to nearest and sometimes next nearest neighboring atoms (Fendorff et al, 1994 Schulze and Bertsch, 1995 Fendorff and Sparks, 1996 Bertsch and Hunter, 1998 Sparks,... 

A more recent addition to the diverse array of x-ray based methods is x-ray absorption spectroscopy. In contrast to x-ray diffraction methods which derive their utility from the properties of well defined crystallites, x-ray absorption methods are atomic probes, capable of obtaining both electronic and structural information about a specific type of atom. The growing use of x-ray absorption methods is a result of the greater availability of synchrotron radiation sources which provide the intense broad band x-radiation required. In some instances laboratory based spectrometers utilizing either sealed tubes or rotating anode x-ray generators can also be used. 

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