Molecular‐Orbital Interpretation of the Soft X‐RayLII,IIIEmission and Absorption Spectra from Some Titanium and Vanadium Compounds

A molecular‐orbital energy‐level diagram is constructed and used to interpret the metal‐ion LII,III x‐ray emission and absorption spectra from the oxides, nitrides, carbides, and borides of titanium and vanadium. It is shown that the MO model provides a more accurate description of the experimental results than did the ionic model and crossover transition theory. Specific electronic transitions are assigned to spectral components. Anomalous emission peaks which fall on the low‐energy side of the main LIII band are found to originate in molecular orbitals which are primarily associated with ligand 2p and 2s levels.