The grafting of molecular layers to carbon-based materials provides a way to combine the high chemical and thermal stability of these materials with surface properties such as chemical recognition or reactivity. The functionalization of surfaces with ultraviolet light has emerged as a way to modify difficult-to-functionalize materials, such as diamond. We have performed a combined experimental and computational investigation of the photochemical reaction of terminal alkenes with hydrogen-terminated carbon surfaces. 1 -Alkenes carrying various terminal functional groups (-NHCOCF3, -NHCOO(tert-butyl), -COOCH3, -CH3) were grafted from the neat liquids using 254 nm light. These layers were characterized using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Infrared Reflectance Absorption Spectroscopy. Pronounced differences in reactivity were observed between the molecules: trifluoroacetamide-terminated alkenes grafted the fastest and yielded self-terminating layers after similar to 4 h. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and photocurrent measurements show that the grafting reaction involves photoemission of electrons into the liquid. Density functional calculations show that the reactivites of the four molecules are correlated with their electron affinities, with the trifluoroacetamide group acting as the best electron acceptor and having the highest reactivity. Our results demonstrate that photoejection of electrons from the solid into the acceptor levels of the alkenes initiates the functionalization reaction and controls the overall rate. Finally, marginally reactive n-alkenes were induced to react and form dense monolayers by seeding the carbon surface with small amounts of a good electron acceptor, such as the trifluoroacetamide moiety. This study provides important new mechanistic insights into the use of ultraviolet light to initiate grafting of alkenes onto surfaces.