Using a hf plasma maintained in pure argon at some 10-4 torr by electron-cyclotron-wave resonance as an ionizing medium as well as an effective ion source, neutral sputtered particles are mass analyzed by a large aperture quadrupole mass spectrometer. Mass spectra of the neutral species sputtered from clean polycrystalline surfaces by normally incident Ar+–ions of 1 keV have been determined for 11 different pure metals. Besides sputtered atoms Me and diatomic molecules Me2 with intensity ratios R2 1 between Me2 and Me1 in the order of 10-2 to 10-1, neutral triatomic complexes Me3 with corresponding ratios R31 of some 10-4 are found. The results for noble metals are discussed in terms of the influence of σ bonding electrons. Possible applications of the experimental method for surface analysis by sputtered neutrals are demonstrated for air contaminated polycrystalline Ta and Nb samples. From the time dependent behaviour of the corresponding mass spectra of postionized sputtered neutrals, containing oxides and nitrides only as diatomic species MeO and MeN with an initial fraction of some 10-1, the depth profiles of the surface impurity layers have been determined.