Electron assisted methane production on carbon surfaces

Results are reported on the production of methane due to electron bombardment or electron plus atomic hydrogen/deuterium bombardment of technical grade and crystalline graphite. It was found that both graphites gave very high methane yields, after mild baking, due to electron impact only with or without simultaneous atomic bombardment. The origin of this methane is evidently hydrogen or hydrogen-containing compounds already in the graphite or on the surface. After a very strong baking of the technical grade graphite and moderate baking of the crystalline graphite, the methane yield, under electron impact only, was greatly reduced to a residual level. When such strongly degassed graphite was exposed to simultaneous electron and atomic bombardment, a small electron/gas atomic hydrogen/graphite synergistic production of methane was observed. The present work is aimed at further elucidating this synergistic effect and at identifying the origin of the hydrogen causing the formation of CH/sub 4/