Both stearic acid and methyl stearate chemisorbs onto an oxide surface of aluminum with an asymmetric coordination of the carboxylate group as concluded from infrared (IR) spectroscopy data. Similarities in the IR spectra of the films from the two compounds suggest that the ester is bonded in the same way as the acid, and that the ester therefore undergoes hydrolysis during the surface reaction. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and IR data are interpreted in terms of self-assembled monolayer formation and a more dense film from the carboxylic acid in comparison with that from the ester.