Complex surface chemistry of an otherwise inert solvent molecule: tetrahydrofuran on Si(001)

Gerson Mette; Marcel Reutzel; Ruben Bartholomäus; Slimane Laref; Ralf Tonner; Michael Dürr; Ulrich Koert; Ulrich Höfer

doi:10.1002/cphc.201402486

Complex surface chemistry of an otherwise inert solvent molecule: tetrahydrofuran on Si(001)

Chemphyschem. 2014 Dec 1;15(17):3725-8. doi: 10.1002/cphc.201402486. Epub 2014 Sep 22.

Authors

Gerson Mette¹, Marcel Reutzel, Ruben Bartholomäus, Slimane Laref, Ralf Tonner, Michael Dürr, Ulrich Koert, Ulrich Höfer

Affiliation

¹ Fachbereich Physik und Zentrum für Materialwissenschaften, Philipps-Universität, 35032 Marburg (Germany); Current address: Physik-Institut, Universität Zürich, CH-8057 Zürich (Switzerland).

PMID: 25251259
DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201402486

Abstract

The reaction of tetrahydrofuran (THF), an otherwise inert solvent molecule, on Si(001) was experimentally studied in ultra-high vacuum. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and photoelectron spectroscopy at variable temperature, we could both isolate a datively bound intermediate state of THF on Si(001), as well as the final configuration that bridges two dimer rows of the Si(001) surface after ether cleavage. The latter configuration implies splitting of the OC bond, which is typically kinetically suppressed. THF thus exhibits a hitherto unknown reactivity on Si(001).

Keywords: STM; XPS; ether cleavage; silicon surface; tetrahydrofuran.