ABSTRACT. The adsorption of cytosine, 6-azacytosine, 6-azacytidine and 5-azacytidine on the Au(111) surface has been studied by soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS). Monolayer films of these molecules were adsorbed on Au(111) from aqueous solution, and the nature of bonding with this surface has been determined. Cytosine was adsorbed from the gas phase by evaporation, as well as from solution, on both the Au(111) and Au (110) through the N (3) atom of the pyrimidine ring dominates, but a second state is also 2 present. For deposition from solution, this second state dominates, and the molecular plane is no longer parallel to the surface. This state also bonds through the N (3) atom, but in addition interacts with the surface via the amino group. Two tautomers of 6-azacytosine were observed, and they and 6-azacytidine adsorb with similar geometries and chemical bonding via the azacytosine ring. The ribose ring does not appear to perturb the adsorption of azacytidine compared with azacytosine. The azacytosine ring is nearly but not perfectly parallel to the surface. 5-azacytidine adsorbs with the azacytosine ring very nearly parallel to the surface, as an imino tautomer.3