Measurements have been made of the effects of low-energy electron bombardment (0–300 ev) on a chemisorbed layer of oxygen on polycrystalline molybdenum. Oxygen is adsorbed in two states at room temperature with approximate heats of adsorption of 60 and 110 kcal/mole, respectively. O+ ions are released from the weakly bound state with a maximum probability of 10−5 ion/electron at an electron energy of 90 ev. The ion-energy distribution, measured by a retarding-field method, has a maximum at about 6 ev and a half-width of 5 ev. About 50 neutrals are released for every ion. The measured threshold energy, 17.6 ± 0.2 ev, for ion formation is in good agreement with the calculated value. The probability of ion and neutral release from the strongly bonded state is about 2 × 103 times smaller than for the weakly bonded state. A qualitative explanation of the formation of neutrals is proposed in terms of Auger neutralization of the ions near the surface. Reflection of the ion-energy distribution in the calculated curve of the potential energy of the O+ ion yields, after correction for Auger neutralization, the probability density distribution of the adsorbed oxygen atom. The equilibrium spacing of the chemisorbed atom is then estimated to be 1.67 Å.
