Simultaneous work function change and conduction measurements have been performed on undoped SnO2 thick film sensors in order to investigate the surface reactions of CO under dry and humid conditions. On their basis, changes in the electron affinity have been observed for the reaction with water and the reaction with CO in the background of water. Additionally, by comparing the results for the changes in band bending, one can conclude that both water and CO compete for the same reaction sites, i.e. preadsorbed oxygen species. The kinetics of work function and band bending changes show that in the case of humid air more than one dipole species is involved in the reaction with CO. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.