The interaction of hydrogen (deuterium) with different modified Pd(1 1 1) surfaces has been investigated. The focus was put on the energy and angel dependence of the desorbing molecules from oxygen covered, potassium covered and vanadium oxide covered surfaces. Conventional adsorption/desorption as well as permeation/desorption experiments were performed. For the oxygen covered surface optimum reaction rates for water production and the energy distribution of the reaction products were determined, both for the reaction of oxygen with molecular hydrogen as well as with atomic hydrogen. Potassium on the surface enhances the activation barrier for hydrogen adsorption resulting in a hyper-thermal desorption flux and a forward focused angular distribution of desorption. Permeation/desorption of deuterium from ultra-thin vanadium oxide films yield mainly thermalized desorbing molecules or slightly hyper-thermal, depending on the oxidation state of the surface oxide. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.