Decomposition of methanol on Au(310)

Experimental results on the interaction of methanol with a Au(310) surface studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) are reported. At 80 K methanol forms a physisorbed condensed layer above 5 L of exposure. Interestingly, O-H bond scission takes place above 150 K on the surface resulting in an adsorbed methoxy species which is stable till 500 K. This is in contrast with other gold surfaces like Au(111) and Au(110) which showed no evidence for decomposition. The difference in reactivity of Au(310) surface towards methanol is interpreted in terms of the presence of special sites formed by (110) steps and (100) terraces on this surface.