Combined application of XANES and XPS to study oxygen species adsorbed on Ag foil

Adsorbed oxygen species realized in the course of ethylene epoxidation over polycrystalline silver have been characterized by X-ray absorption near the edge structure and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Namely, the combined application of XANES and XPS in similar UHV conditions using the same sample allowed us to assign an XAS feature to the nucleophilic and electrophilic oxygen. This is of great significance, since these species are suggested to be included into the active center for ethylene epoxidation. The differences in the oxygen-silver bonding of these oxygen species are discussed.