Auger electron spectra of matrix-isolated metal atoms have been recorded for the first time. Differences in extra-atomic relaxation between bulk metal and argon matrix isolated atoms resulted in shifts in the energy of LMM Auger electrons, −3.1 eV for potassium and −8.7 eV for titanium. The sum of the shift and the known difference between the energies of LMM Auger electrons from gaseous and frozen argon is a good estimate of the total extra-atomic relaxation energy for the bulk metal after Auger processes. Polyimide Isoindolo Quinazolin-dione (PIQ) was studied in detail with Direct Recoil Spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) to determine the effects of argon and nitrogen ion implantation, oxygen recoil implantation, and vacuum annealing. A hydrocarbon contaminant that cannot be detected by XPS alone was confirmed to exist with DRS. Ion bombardment, even at relatively low energies, causes profound graphitization of the surface. DRS and XPS data show that appreciable amounts of nitrogen and oxygen can be implanted into the polymer, and that the implanted species are stable up to 300\sp∘C. DRS evidence suggests that water dissociates on the 3 keV argon ion bombarded PIQ surface, adding hydrogen to the surface but not oxygen. DRS, XPS and SIMS have been used to examine chemisorption and annealing on polycrystalline titanium. Dynamic surface processes were studied with DRS on the time-scale of 30 seconds, revealing that a surface phase transition takes place on Ar\sp+ sputtered titanium at only 500\sp∘K. DRS in conjunction with XPS showed conclusive evidence for formation of a subsurface nitride after a nitride titanium sample was exposed to oxygen. A 'trickle down' mechanism is proposed to account for the formation of the subsurface species. There are at least two surface sites for hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. At room temperature, the hydrogens' lower site is saturated, even after sputter-cleaning.