ThesurfacecompositionandelectronicstructureoftungstencarbidespreparedbydirectsynthesisandcarburizationofwhitetungsticacidwerestudiedwithX-rayphotoelectronspectros-copy.TheexperimentalresultsshowthatWO3andfreecarbonarepresentonthesurfaceofthecarbides.Forthehighsurfaceareatungstencarbidepreparedfromwhitetungsticacidalargeextentofoxygeninsertionintothecrystallatticewasobserved.MeasurementsofthebindingenergiesoftheW47/2,C1sandO1scorelevelsindicatethatchargetransferisfromtheWtotheCandOatoms,formingW5d-C2pandW5d-O2pbonding.ThecatalyticbehaviorofthetungstencarbidesinhydrocarbonconversionreactionsismentionedandcomparedwithPtcatalysts.
