Characterization of gas phase iron phthalocyanine with X-ray photoelectron and absorption spectroscopies

Despite the numerous studies dedicated to phthalocyanine molecules adsorbed on surfaces, in monolayer or thin film, very few works have been focused on the characterization of vapors of these molecules. In this article we present the C 1s, N 1s and Fe 2p photoemission results as well as N K-edge X-ray absorption data of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) in gas phase. Presented comparison of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy spectra of FePc films show a great similarity with the gas phase results, confirming the molecular character of thick films. The Fe 2p photoemission spectrum of the gas phase FePc, shown for the first time, can be considered as a fingerprint of the Fe(II) ionic state of the central metal of the iron phthalocyanine. The performed multiplet calculations for describing the Fe 2p XP spectrum indicate 3Eg (a1g2eg3b2g1) state as the most probable ground state for thick film of iron phthalocyanine.