The discharge rate in a closed ozonizer filled with O2or air, as measured by the radiohyphen;frequency current passing through it or the light emitted, was found to decrease with the time during which the discharge is maintained, reaching eventually a minimum value. It is concluded that this decrease is due to species formed during the discharge and adsorbed on the glass surface. It is also concluded that the ionization in the gaseous phase is small, and that the discharge occurs by a sudden release of a cascade of electrons from the cathode, these electrons being responsible for ozone formation through an oxygenhyphen;atom mechanism. It is pointed out that some of the discrepancies in the literature may be removed if a better understanding of the role of the state of the surface is achieved.
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