The dissociation energy of the nitrogen molecule

The electron-induced dissociation of nitrogen by essentially monoenergetic electrons has been studied in a mass spectrometer. It has been found that there are three ways by which the atomic nitrogen ions are produced, namely, those in which the accompanying nitrogen atom is produced in its three states, 4S0, 2D0, and 2P0; the atomic nitrogen ion being always formed in its ground (3P) state. The appearance potentials at which these three processes occur lead unequivocally to the conclusion that the dissociation energy of the nitrogen molecule is 9·756 eV.