In disordered alloys, atoms belonging to the same chemical element will exhibit different environments. This leads to variations in the atoms’ local electronic structures, which in turn leads to variations in the binding energies of their core levels. These binding energies can be measured experimentally using core level X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Therefore, in theory at least, core level XPS can be used to resolve different environments in alloys. However, to make this a reality one must understand how an atom’s local electronic structure, and hence the binding energies of its core levels, are affected by local environment. In this thesis, two simple phenomenological models are explored which purport to correctly describe the local electronic structure of disordered alloys. The first model which we consider has its roots in chemical intuition; specifically, the notion that pairs of unlike atoms, i.e. atoms belonging to different chemical elements, transfer a certain quantity of charge, while like atoms do not. Using this model - known as the optimised linear charge model (OLCM) - the relationship between an atom’s local electronic structure, core level binding energies, and its environment is explored in detail, both in the bulk of disordered alloys and near their surfaces. As well as ‘homogeneous’ disordered alloys, in which the concentrations of the alloy’s constituent elements are the same throughout the entire alloy, various ‘inhomogeneous’ disordered alloy systems are considered. These include alloys exhibiting surface segregation - in which the concentrations at the surface differ from those in the bulk - as well as interfaces between two metals with various levels of intermixing. The results of our investigation of bulk inhomogeneous alloys are compared to analogous ab initio results, which confirms the model’s viability as a tool for rationalising the relationship between local electronic structure, core level binding energies, and environment. More generally, our results also reveal a number of interesting new phenomena. Firstly, the widths of spectra in inhomogeneous disordered alloys are significantly larger in some cases than is possible in any analogous homogeneous disordered alloy. Secondly, differences between the concentrations of each element at the surface and deep within the bulk cause a shift in the work function of the alloy under consideration. The latter results in qualitatively different trends than one would expect if this phenomenon was ignored, and prompts an alternative interpretation of the results of a recent experimental study. The second model which we consider is a particular case of the charge-excess functional model, in which the realised charges on all atoms are those which minimise a particular expression for the total energy of the system, and whose accuracy has been well established. The underlying assumptions and properties of this model are explored in detail, adding insight into the nature of the screening and inter-atomic interactions in disordered alloys. The model is shown to be equivalent to the OLCM for the case of binary alloys, and can therefore be considered to be the generalisation of the OLCM for alloys containing more than two chemical elements. The model is also used to derive analytical expressions for various physical quantities for any alloy, including the width of core level XPS spectra and the Madelung energy. These expressions are then used to investigate how the physical quantities to which they pertain vary with the concentrations of each element in a homogeneous disordered alloy consisting of three elements. Among other things, it was observed that the width of the core level XPS spectra is maximised when the concentrations of the two elements in the alloy with the largest electronegativity difference have equal concentrations, while the remaining element has a vanishing concentration.

The localized model of a chemical bond has had a long and prominent role in chemistry, but situations of extended charge delocalization and dipole effects remain topics in need of greater understanding. Both orbital delocalization in isolated molecules and induced molecular dipoles in condensed phases serve to move electron density and influence the chemical and physical properties of a system. This dissertation studies these aspects of electronic structure for selected organic, inorganic, and organometallic systems by means of electronic structure calculations and photoelectron spectroscopy, which is well-suited for studying both intramolecular and intermolecular effects by providing a direct probe of orbital energies and characters. Photoelectron spectra of P₄ and AsP₃ reveal differences in the molecular symmetry and cationic state effects between the two molecules in Chapter 3. Despite these differences, AsP₃ is found to have electron delocalization and vibrational structures that are comparable to P₄. A similar study of the delocalized -system of 2H-1,2,3-triazole in Chapter 4 relates the vibrational structure in photoelectron spectroscopy data to a series of Rydberg excitations in the vacuum UV photoabsorption spectrum. Chapters 5 and 6 examine extended electronic structures in organometallic complexes. The electron delocalization and charge transfer between two Ru centers along a bridging ethynediyl ligand is studied in [CpRu(CO)₂]₂(μC≡C). Details of the Ru-alkynyl interaction were explored by comparing the spectra of CpRu(CO)₂C≡CMe with CpRu(CO)₂Cl, including the -backbonding ability of alkynyl ligands. Chapter 6 moves from the realm of intramolecular effects to intermolecular interactions to understand how surrounding media affect electronic properties of molecules. The reversal of ionization energies between the gas and solid phases of M(CO)₄dmpe and M(CO)₄dppe, where M = Mo, W, is explored with photoelectron spectroscopy. The surrounding molecular environment stabilizes the cation, resulting in this reversal that extends to core ionization energies. The variety of systems presented illustrates the wide applicability of photoelectron spectroscopy and computations to different electronic structure studies, including how gas phase results can be related to condensed phase studies. This work continues the progress of photoelectron spectroscopy from small molecules to larger molecular systems and even further to bulk systems.

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