ABSTRACT
Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) has therefore been successfully used for the study of various processes that occur at the surface and its interaction with the environment. Analysis of the first monolayers and the study of their chemical state is accomplished by SIMS in the so-called static mode, which is based on the use of a very low primary current density. The first attempts to apply SIMS for study of adsorption, catalysis, and oxidation processes were made in the sixties in the Fogel laboratory. As an example of SIMS application to the study of catalytic reactions the results obtained from investigation of ammonium dissociation and synthesis on iron will be considered. A similar approach has since been used by various authors to study other catalytic reactions and to solve many theoretical and practical catalysis problems, as well as the problems of technology monitoring.
