The adsorption of thiophenol on gold – a spectroelectrochemical study

Abstract

The adsorbate formed by adsorption of thiophenol on a polycrystalline gold electrode and brought into contact with aqueous solutions of 1 M HClO₄ and 0.1 M KClO₄ has been studied using cyclic voltammetry and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. A strong adsorption is deduced from observations made using cyclic voltammetry. From the SER spectra, interactions of thiophenol with the gold surface via a gold–sulfur bond with the aromatic ring pointing away from the surface is concluded for both electrolyte solutions.