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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Chemical Precipitation Method for the Synthesis of Nb2O5 Modified Bulk Nickel Catalysts with High Specific Surface Area
Published on: February 19, 2018
CO-promoted formation of the alkali-oxygen bond on Ni(111)
A Politano1, A R Marino, G Chiarello
1Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi della Calabria, via ponte Bucci, 87036 Rende (Cs), Italy.
Abstract:
High-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy was used to study the coadsorption of alkali metals (Na, K) and oxygen on clean and CO-modified Ni(111) surfaces. We unambiguously show that on an alkali-precovered surface, the alkali-O bond was not formed upon O(2) exposure. On the contrary, the alkali-O bond was readily observed by exposing to O(2) the Ni(111) surface precovered with an alkali+CO phase. This enhanced oxidation rate of alkali metals in the presence of CO molecules was ascribed to the short-range CO-induced modification of the electronic charge of alkali-metal adatoms.
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Covalent Bonds
When two atoms share electrons to complete their valence shells, they create a covalent bond. An atom's electronegativity—the force with which shared electrons are pulled towards an atom—determines how the electrons are shared. Molecules formed with covalent bonds can be either polar or nonpolar. Atoms with similar electronegativities form nonpolar covalent bonds; the electrons are shared equally. Atoms with different electronegativities share electrons unequally, creating polar bonds.
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Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
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