To be or not to be chlorinated: When octaethylporphyrin iron(III) chloride (FeOEP-Cl) molecules are sublimated onto Cu(111) surfaces, two different molecular species are observed through scanning tunneling microscopy, showing either a protrusion or a depression at the center. In combination with van der Waals-corrected density functional calculations, our experiments reveal that one species corresponds to FeOEP-Cl molecules with the chlorine atom pointing away from the surface, whereas the other species has been dechlorinated.
Keywords: chlorine; copper; density functional calculations; oxidation; scanning probe microscopy.
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