Radiation Damage in Transition Metal Hexahalo Complexes: The Application of Atomic Collision Dynamics in Hot Atom Chemistry

Abstract

In transition metal hexahalo complexes K2[MeX6], the chemical consequences of “hot” atom reactions can be observed in relatively simple systems. The primary recoils, generated by nuclear reactions or implanted as radioactive ions, can be studied by radiochemical methods. The halogen recoils may appear either as free halide *X- or as labeled complex anion [MeX5*X]2-. The hot atom chemistry of these systems can be accounted for in largely solid state physical terms, using computer simulation techniques. In general, excellent agreement between the experimental data and the model calculations can be obtained using reasonable model parameters. This agreement shows that the product distribution in these systems is controlled by atomic collision dynamics and simple reactions of a well-defined number of simple defects.