Comments on the paper by H. Shiroishi, Y. Ayato, K. Kunimatsu and T. Okada entitled “Study of adsorbed water on Pt during methanol oxidation by ATR-SEIRAS (surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy)” [J. Electroanal. Chem. 581 (2005) 132]

The conclusions of a recently reported ATR-SEIRAS study of the electrooxidation of methanol on polycrystalline platinum are briefly commented, emphasising that the reported new band corresponding to water adsorbed on the CO-covered Pt electrode cannot be the oxygen-containing adsorbate necessary to oxidise the adsorbed CO formed on the electrode surface upon oxidative adsorption of methanol necessary for further methanol oxidation.