In situ DRIFTS were conducted to identify adsorbed ozone and/or adsorbed oxygen species on CaO, ZnO, gamma-Al2O3, CuO and alpha-Fe2O3 surfaces at room temperature. Samples were characterized by means of TG, XRD, N-2 adsorption-desorption, pyridine-IR, nitrobenzene-IR, chloroform-IR, and CO2-TPD. Pyridine-DRIFTS measurements evidence two kinds of acid sites in all the samples. Nitrobenzene, chloroform-DRIFTS, and CO2-TPD reveal that there are large amounts of medium-strength base sites on all the metal oxides, and only CaO, ZnO, and gamma-Al2O3 have strong base sites. And the benzaldehyde selectivity was increased in the same order of the alkalinity of the metal oxides. With weaker sites, ozone molecules form coordinative complexes bound via the terminal oxygen atom, observed by vibrational frequencies at 2095-2122 and 1026-1054 cm(-1). The formation of ozonide O-3(-) at 790 cm(-1), atomic oxygen at 1317 cm(-1), and superoxide O-2(-) at 1124 cm(-1) was detected; these species are believed to be intermediates of O-3 decomposition on strong acid/base sites. The adsorption of ozone on metal oxides is a weak adsorption, and other gases, such as CO2, will compete with O-3 adsorption. The mechanism of cinnamaldehyde ozonation at room temperature over CaO shows that cinnamaldehyde can not only be oxidized into cinnamic acid, but also be further oxidized into benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, maleic anhydride, and ultimately mineralized to CO2 in the presence of O-3. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.