The effect of simply adsorbed Sm, Eu, and Yb ions on TiO
2 (Ln/TiO
2) and Fe ions adsorbed onto TiO
2 (Fe/TiO
2) was examined from the photocatalytic decomposition of adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) as an anionic substance, 2-propanol as a neutral substance, and methylene blue (MB) as a cationic substance. The amount of ATP disappearing in 40min of reaction in the presence of Ln/TiO
2 increases in the order
Ln=Sm<Eu<Yb. For 2-propanol, the photocatalytic activities of Ln/TiO
2 catalysts were similar to that of unmodified TiO
2 (u-TiO
2) catalyst. For MB, the photocatalytic activities of Ln/TiO
2 catalysts were less than that of u-TiO
2 catalyst. By contrast, Fe/TiO
2 catalyst was excellent in photocatalytic decomposition of ATP, 2-propanol, and MB. The photocatalytic activity of Yb/TiO
2-C calcined at 500°C for 1h was reduced for ATP, a reduced slightly for 2-propanol, and increased for MB compared with Yb/TiO
2. Photocatalytic activities of Fe/TiO
2-C for ATP, 2-propanol, and MB were all less than for Fe/TiO
2. The local structure around the lanthanide ions on TiO
2 particles was revealed by EXAFS measurement. The structure of the Yb atom in Yb/TiO
2-C was composed of the Yb
![](/images/glyphs/BO7.GIF)
O bonds as in Yb
2O
3, rather than Yb
![](/images/glyphs/BO7.GIF)
Cl bonds in Yb/TiO
2.