A New Process of Negative Ion Formation

Abstract

WHEN a stream of electrons is passed through a monatomic gas, negative ions are supposed to be formed by direct electron attachment to atoms of the gas with radiation of the excess energy. When the gas is molecular, the process generally presumed to occur is simultaneous dissociation of the molecule and attachment of the electron to one of the products of dissociation, the energy of the electron in excess of that necessary for dissociation together with the electron affinity of the atom being carried away in kinetic form by the products of dissociation.