Adsorption of nitrogen on platinum

The adsorption and desorption of nitrogen on a platinum filament have been studied by thermal desorption techniques. Nitrogen adsorption becomes significant only after any carbon contamination is removed from the surface by heating the platinum filament in oxygen, and after the CO content in the background gas is reduced substantially. At room temperature nitrogen populates an atomic tightly bound β-state, E≠ = 19 kcal mole−1. The saturation …