Ion-molecule surface reactions induced by slow electrons

The authors have studied, within the 5-20 eV incident energy range, the electron stimulated desorption of negative and positive ions emanating from a platinum substrate on which O2 molecules were coadsorbed with N2 or hydrocarbons at a temperature of 17 K. By producing selectively with the electron beam O-(2P) ions at a surface covered with O2 and CnH2n+2 or CnH2n the molecules, via the dissociative attachment reaction O2(3σg-)+e- → O2-(2Πu, 2σg+) → O-(2P) + O(3O), the surface reactions O- + CnH2n+2 → OH- + CnH2n+1 or O- + CnH2n → OH- + CnH2n-1, respectively, can be induced and controlled