Polar organic molecules on the silicon (001) surface

In this thesis, a combination of Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) results are presented for the interaction of several organic molecules with the silicon (001) surface. The combined strengths of these two techniques provide the means to explore the surface reaction in high detail, explaining the characteristics of each surface product from the gas phase to chemisorption. Additional reactive steps were explored by the directed manipulation of surface features using the STM tip. Similarities and carefully selected differences within the molecules allowed the interaction of specific functional groups with the silicon (001) surface to be explored. The molecules looked at in this thesis: acetic acid (CH3COOH), acetone ((CH3)2CO), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), acetophenone (C6H5COCH3) and benzonitrile (C6H5CN).