This paper is dedicated to Professor Richard Norman JonesMICHAEL R. MUCALO and RALPH P. COONEY. Can. J. Chem. 69, 1649 (1991). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been used to investigate the effect of added cations and anions on CO adsorption on platinum and palladium hydrosols. In general, anion effects on CO adsorption may be classified into three categories. 1n the first category, poisoning anions ( e . g . CN-, SH-) block the surface against CO adsorption so that infrared spectra exhibit either no v(CO),~, bands or v(CO),~, bands at lower frequencies (12070 cm-'). In the second category, inert anions ( e . g . the halides, citrate, EDTA~-) have no apparent effect on v(CO),~,. The third category is characterised by anions such as P043-, CO~*-, or stearate ion which affect v(CO),~, via the pH change that the dissolved anions cause in the metal hydrosol dispersion medium. Infrared spectra of platinum and palladium hydrosols in cyanide media were found to exhibit bands due to cyanate, tetracyanoplatinate(II), and tetracyanopalladate(I1) arising from cyanide corrosion of the metal hydrosols. Ultraviolet/visible spectra of iodide ion in platinum hydrosols indicated that iodoplatinate(I1) species had been produced. The band shape of v(CO),~, at 2070 cm-' in platinum hydrosols is found to be s-nsitive to the state of dispersion of the hydrosol particles. Bands due to CO adsorbed on hydrosol particles in either acompletely or partially aggregated state are weaker and broader with a decreased value of v(CO),~, relative to that of the unaggregated hydrosol.