Soda-silicate and soda-lime silicate glass surfaces were irradiated by a 3 keV, 0.50 mA/cm2 electron beam and then characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Sodium is depleted from the bombarded surfaces and the non-bridging-to-bridging oxygen ratios also decrease, in agreement with previous studies. Metallic sodium forms on the surfaces of irradiated binary glasses, whereas no reduced sodium can be detected on electron bombarded CaO-containing glass surfaces. © 1994.