Identifying reactive intermediates in the Ullmann coupling reaction by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy

We present an atomic-scale study of substituent effects in the Ullmann coupling reaction on Cu{111} using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. We have observed fluorophenyl intermediates and phenyl intermediates as well as biphenyl products on Cu{111} after exposure to 4-fluoro-1-bromobenzene (p-FC(6)H(4)Br) and bromobenzene (C(6)H(5)Br), respectively. When p-FC(6)H(4)Br dissociatively chemisorbs at 298 K on Cu{111}, the relatively weakly bound Br dissociates, and fluorophenyl intermediates are formed. These intermediates couple to form 4,4'-difluorobiphenyl and desorb at temperatures below 370 K. However, by cooling the substrate to low temperature (4 K), we have observed unreacted fluorophenyl intermediates distributed randomly on terraces and at step edges of the Cu{111} surface. Alternatively, at similar coverages of C(6)H(5)Br, we have observed biphenyl distributed on terraces and step edges. In each case, Br adatoms were randomly distributed on the surface. Chemical identification of fluorophenyl and phenyl intermediates and biphenyl products was achieved by vibrational spectroscopy via inelastic tunneling spectroscopy. The strongest vibrational mode in the phenyl species disappears when the tilted intermediates couple to form biphenyl products. We infer that the surface normal component of the dipole moment is important in determining the transition strength in inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy.