Chemical effects in fission product recoil

Abstract

Some measurements of I 131 arising after fission recoil from uranium oxide particles into a surrounding medium of solid potassium iodate show that: 1. 1. The fraction of recoils stopping in the iodate phase increases as the relative amount of iodate to oxide increases. 2. 2. The amount of chemical decomposition in the iodate phase is proportional to the number of fission recoils stopping in the iodate phase. The “G” factor under the conditions in question lies between 2 and 6 molecules of iodate reduced per 100 eV of recoil energy absorbed. 3. 3. The specific activity of the reduced forms of iodine (I 2, I −) remains fairly constant, whatever the extent of fission, and is always higher than the specific activity of the oxidized form (IO 3 −). Approximately 90 per cent of the I 131 is retained in the oxidized form.