Valence and core photoelectron

Magic Number Carbon Clusters Ionization Potentials and Selective Reactivity. D. L. Lichtenberger, K. W. Nebesny, C. D. Ray, D. R. Huffman, and L. D. Lamb, Chem. Phys. Lett., 176, 203 (1991). Valence and Core Photoelectron Spectroscopy of C o, Buckrainsterfullerene. 

The simplest, and perhaps the most important, information derived from photoelectron spectra is the ionization energies for valence and core electrons. Before the development of photoelectron spectroscopy very few of these were known, especially for polyatomic molecules. For core electrons ionization energies were previously unobtainable and illustrate the extent to which core orbitals differ from the pure atomic orbitals pictured in simple valence theory. 

It is commonly accepted that chemisorption of CO on transition metals takes place in a way that is quite similar to bond formation in metal carbonyls (4). First experimental evidence for this assumption was obtained from a comparison of the C—O stretching frequencies (5) and was later confirmed by data on the bond strength (6) as well as by valence and core level ionization potentials obtained by photoelectron spectroscopy (7). Recent investigations have in fact shown that polynuclear carbonyl compounds with more than about 3-4 metal atoms exhibit electronic properties that are practically identical to those of corresponding CO chemisorption systems (8, 9), thus supporting the idea that the bond is relatively strongly localized to a small number of metal atoms forming the chemisorption site. 

Photoelectron spectroscopy of valence and core electrons in solids has been useful in the study of the surface properties of transition metals and other solid-phase materials. When photoelectron spectroscopy is performed on a solid sample, an additional step that must be considered is the escape of the resultant photoelectron from the bulk. The analysis can only be performed as deep as the electrons can escape from the bulk and then be detected. The escape depth is dependent upon the inelastic mean free path of the electrons, determined by electron-electron and electron-phonon collisions, which varies with photoelectron kinetic energy. The depth that can be probed is on the order of about 5-50 A, which makes this spectroscopy actually a surface-sensitive technique rather than a probe of the bulk properties of a material. Because photoelectron spectroscopy only probes such a thin layer, analysis of bulk materials, absorbed molecules, or thin films must be performed in ultrahigh vacuum (<10 torr) to prevent interference from contaminants that may adhere to the surface. 

In principle, it should be possible to obtain experimental valence band spectra of highly dispersed metals by photoemission. In practice, such spectra is difficult to obtain because very highly dispersed metals are usually obtained only on nonconductive supports and the resulting charging of the sample causes large chemical shifts and severe broadening of the photoelectron spectra. The purpose of this section is to discuss valence band and core level spectra of highly dispersed metal particles. 

Additional information on electronic structure may be obtained from the x-ray emission spectra of the SiOj polymorphs. As explained in Chapter 2, x-ray emission spectra obey rather strict selection rules, and their intensities can therefore give information on the symmetry (atomic or molecular) of the valence states involved in the transition. In order to draw a correspondence between the various x-ray emission spectra and the photoelectron spectrum, the binding energies of core orbitals must be measured. In Fig. 4.12 (Fischer et al., 1977), the x-ray photoelectron and x-ray emission spectra of a-quartz are aligned on a common energy scale. All three x-ray emission spectra may be readily interpreted within the SiO/ cluster model. Indeed, the Si x-ray emission spectra of silicates are all similar to those of SiOj, no matter what their degree of polymerization. Some differences in detail exist between the spectra of a-quartz and other well-studied silicates, such as olivine, and such differences will be discussed later. 

The valence-region uv photoelectron spectrum of pyrite shows an intense peak at low binding energy arising from the six spin-paired electrons in the 2g levels (Fig. 6.11). Less pronounced features arise from the other valence-band electrons. The photoelectron spectrum can be aligned with x-ray emission spectra using more deeply buried core orbitals and, as shown from Fig. 6.11, provide further experimental data on the composition of the valence region. Thus, the Fe (5 spectrum shows the contri bution from orbitals that are predominantly Fe 4p in character, the S p... 

The main peaks in X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) for molecules appear because of the photoionization of core electrons. In addition, satellite peaks on the high binding energy side of the main peak have often been observed. These peaks are generally referred to as shakeup satellite peaks. In the sudden approximation, the shakeup process which accompanies photoionization can be considered as a two-step process. First, a core electron is emitted as a photoelectron, creating an inner shell vacancy. In the next step, electron(s) in the same molecule transfer from valence orbital(s) to unoccupied orbital(s) with relaxation of orbital energies. It is important to study these satellites in order to understand the valence and excited states of molecules (1). 

Tery L. Barr, Mengping Yin and Shikha Varma, Detailed x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy valence band and core level studied of select metals oxidations, J. Vac. Set. Technol. A, 10, 2383-2390 (1992). 

---