Recombination of preadsorbed oxygen atoms at the surface of solids

Relaxation measurements are used to establish that for a concentration of gas-phase oxygen atoms n=10¹⁴ cm⁻³ heterogeneous recombination of oxygen atoms at the surface of copper and zinc sulfide takes place by a mechanism involving recombination of preadsorbed (precursor state) atoms. A hypothesis is put forward for the existence of a universal mechanism for the catalytic acceleration of heterogeneous chemical reactions. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 25, 27–32 (August 12, 1999)