The influence of electron impact dissociation of oxygen on neutral chemistry was studied for plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( PECVD) of zinc oxide using oxygen and diethyl zinc. Electron conditions in the reactor were estimated based on simulations of well-known Ar-O-2 plasmas, while the majority of the thermal chemistry was abstracted from the combustion literature. A rudimentary model of film growth was developed using the rate of oxygen dissociation as the lone adjustable parameter. Model results were compared directly with experimental measurements of deposition rates and neutral species densities for a wide range of conditions. Good quantitative agreement between experiments and model were observed as a function of composition and rf power. The system is highly sensitive to the electron impact dissociation of oxygen, which creates the radical pool that drives the majority of the chemistry. The approach detailed here provides a framework for the development of models of oxide PECVD derived from other metalorganic precursors.