Adsorption of acridine on silver electrode: SERS spectra potential dependence as a probe of adsorbate state

This work investigates acridine adsorption on the silver electrode surface. The dependence of the acridine SERS spectra on the electrode potential proved to be quite different for azaheterocycle molecules, while the pH effect as expected. The changes in the acridine SERS spectrum caused by the double electric layer (DEL) rearrangement can be explained by sorption/desorption rather than the adsorbate molecule reorientation. The presence of chloride anions close to the silver surface is important not only for the SERS-active properties but for the formation of the stabilised surface complexes of the protonated acridine as well.