Comment on ‘Oxygen isotopic anomaly in surface induced ozone dissociation’ [Chem. Phys. Lett. 369 (2003) 662]

Recently, experimental evidence for an oxygen isotope anomaly in surface-assisted ozone dissociation has been published by Chakraborty and Bhattacharya [Chem. Phys. Lett. 369 (2003) 662]. The authors claim that product oxygen from dissociation of ozone on glass and quartz surfaces is depleted in both heavy oxygen isotopes by about equal amounts. The evidence presented, however, is by no means conclusive. Earlier measurements and even the control experiments of Chakraborty and Bhattacharya suggest that ozone decomposition on glass and quartz surfaces actually follows a normal mass-dependent relationship.