Irradiation and the Subsequent Solid State Thermal Decomposition of Silver Nitrite

Abstract

WE have examined the thermal decomposition of solid silver nitrite at 50° C after it has been exposed to γ-radiation from a cobalt-60 source (dose rate at the sample = 1.5 × 10⁴ r./h). The kinetics were followed gravimetrically in vacuo using collections of many well formed single crystals (sample size about 10 mg). The results are shown in Fig. 1. In contrast with results found in decomposition studies of other solids, which have shown either an enhancement of rate or negligible effect following irradiation¹, with silver nitrite there is a marked inhibition in the rate of decomposition with the dose of γ-rays. There was no significant loss in weight of the sample during irradiation. The irradiation was performed in vacuo. If the irradiation was carried out in a poor vacuum or at 1 atm. there was no effect on the subsequent thermal decomposition. This finding is of considerable importance because it may apply to the study of radiation damage in other reversible solid state decomposition reactions of the type A_(s)→B_(s) + C_(g).