The observation of the vibrational spectra of adsorbed species provides
one of the most incisive methods for und erst an ding chemical and
physical phenomena on surfaces. At the present time, many approaches may
be applied to studies of molecular vibrations on surfaces. Some of these
are used on high-area solids of technological importance (e.g.,
heterogeneous catalysts) while others are applied to single-crystal
substrates to gain better understanding under conditions of controlled
surface structure. This book has attempted to bring together in one
place a discussion of the major methods used to measure vibrational
spectra of surface species. The emphasis is on basic concepts and
experimental methods rather than a current survey of the extensive
literature in this field. Two introductory chapters describe the basic
theoretical aspects of vibrational spectroscopy on surfaces, dealing
with normal modes and excitation mechanisms in vibrational spectroscopy.
The remaining seven chapters deal with various methods employed to
observe surface vibra- tions. These are arranged in an order that first
treats the use of various methods on surfaces that are not of the
single-crystal type. It is in this area that the field first got started
in the late 1940s with pioneering work by Terenin and others in the
Soviet Union, and by Eisehens and others in the United States in the
1950s. The last four chapters deal with relatively recent methods that
permit vibrational studies to be made on single- crystal substrates.
