Surface sensitive electron spectroscopy was applied to study the fundamental processes of aluminium corrosion. We used metastable induced electron spectroscopy (MIES) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) for the investigation of the densities of states of surface and bulk, respectively. Furthermore we applied X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the chemical composition of the top surface layers. All measurements were performed under ultra high vacuum conditions. Al films with thicknesses of 7 nm were investigated. Both the interaction of oxygen and water with these films leads to the formation of an aluminium-oxygen layer, which is partly composed of stoichiometric Al2O3. Weak heat treatment at 770 K transforms the surface layer into Al2O3 with a thickness of about 2 run. Further gas offer does not lead to an increase of this thickness, neither for oxygen nor for water. Additional to the oxygen offer, water exposure leads to the formation of OH species in the top aluminium-oxygen layer to a small amount. Weak heat treatment to 770 K removes this species completely. Water exposure leads to a much faster oxide formation than oxygen exposure. We try to give a model for the fundamental corrosion processes on a molecular scale. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.