Ligand number, adsorption reactions

The determination of the ligand number (27) for adsorption reactions has been discussed by Hohl and Stumm (22). The following example illustrates the relationship between the net proton release and ligand number. 

Carbon dioxide, C02, is a fairly small molecule with acidic properties, which has frequently been used as a probe molecule for basic surface sites and as a poison in catalytic reactions. As shown in the following, C02 adsorption onto oxide surfaces leads to a variety of surface species such as bicarbonates and carbonates that coordinate to surface metal ions in various ways. The type of the coordination influences the symmetry of these ligands so that different surface species held by distinct surface sites can be distinguished by means of their infrared absorptions (162). The characteristic infrared (and Raman) bands of C02 and possible surface species are summarized in Table VI. The wave-number range below 1000 cm"1 was usually not accessible in studies on adsorbed C02 because of the strong absorption of the oxides at lower wave numbers. 

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