The influence of molecular adsorbate layers on surface plasmon excitation in small supported metal particles has been investigated and exploited to study adsorption reactions on their surfaces. For this purpose sodium nanoclusters on quartz and LiF substrates served as model systems. Their optical transmission spectra are dominated by two maxima which are due to the excitation of surface plasmon resonances in the direction of the long and short axes of the oblate particles. By recording the spectra under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions and, subsequently, after exposure to gases such as O 2 , N 2 O, CO 2 , H 2 and N 2 , changes in the optical spectra can be identified if the clusters are covered by as little as half a molecular monolayer. Depending on the adsorbed molecules, different modifications of the maximum position, the width and the amplitude of the surface plasmon resonances are observed. The results of a series of measurements together with calculations using the quasistatic approximation indicate that the variations in the spectra allow one to distinguish between physisorption and chemisorption, i.e. to characterize the strength of the chemical bond. In addition, diffusion of the molecules into the bulk of the particles can be detected. Particularly interesting is the observation that the clusters can experience a change in their shape if gases such as O 2 or CO 2 react with their surface.