The wavelength dependence of tert-butyl nitrite surface photochemistry

The surface photochemistry of tert-butyl nitrite adsorbed on Ag(111) was studied at the 266 and 532 nm wavelengths to shed more light on its excitation mechanism. The focus of the research is the dependence of the dissociation mechanism on the wavelenght. Photon resonance has been previously demonstrated on Mo(CO)6 through direct photoabsorption by the molecule. Results show higher translational energies accompanies dissociation of tert-butyl nitrite at 266 than at 355 nm. The dissociation at both wavelenghts undergo different processes but have similar properties.