RADIATION EFFECTS OF ALPHA PARTICLES ON URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
- 1 June 1958
- report
- Published by Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)
Abstract
Alpha irradiation of uranium hexafluoride results in the formation of fluorine and intermediate, solid uranium fluorides: these products react with each other, apparently by a radiation-induced process. to reform uranium hexifluoride. The number of molecules of uranium hexafluoride decomposed, excluding recombiapproximately 1 in the temperature range 21 to 87 deg C. Irradiation of a mixture of fluorine and uranium hexafluoride in a vessel containing uranium fluorides substantistes the postulated mechanism. At fluorine pressures of 50 to 100 mm Hg, there is an increase, rather than a decrease, in uranium hexafluoride pressure. Rates of both decomposition and recombination processes appear to depend only on the rates of radiation energy absorption. Equations formnulated to describe the combined decomposition and reformation reactions can be used to calculate equilibrium concentrations of uranium hexfluoride and fluorine when the intensity of the radiation source is defined. The effects of three diluent gases, helium, nitrogen and oxygen, were studied in an attempt to find possible electron transfer processes. (auth)Keywords
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