Effects from adsorption of organic species on the surface of nanomaterials have been investigated. Exposure to organic contaminants during material processing, handling and environmental exposure is unavoidable during the manufacturing process of nanoscale materials. In addition, at the nanoscale, surface area to volume ratios increase and surface effects will have an increasing influence on the material properties. Experimentally measured electrical properties of gold nanowires and composition will be presented. The results indicated that C, C—O—C and C=O are adsorbed at the surface of the gold nanowires. These surface contaminants are believed to cause the increase in measured resistivity. A theoretical study was performed to investigate diffusion of these contaminants into the first surface layer, which may act as scattering mechanisms for current flow.