Electron impact dissociation of oxygen-containing molecules - A critical review

The dissociation of a wide range of oxygen-containing molecules following impact with electrons of carefully controlled energy is critically reviewed. Molecules considered range from diatomics, like O-2 and CO, to large molecules of biological and technological interest. Dissociation mechanisms are discussed and, where possible, quantitative data for the various possible processes, ionization, attachment, dissociation, excitation, emission etc., are presented. Gaps and discrepancies in our current data base are highlighted. Both graphical and tabular data are presented. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.