Decomposition of Methane in Low-Pressure Glow Discharge

General and physical chemistry

“…arc discharge in methane the yield of decomposition products was rather lower than expected, this being attributed to the neutralisation of charged species at the wall, where the energy of neutralisation could be dissipated without the induction of chemical change. 523 The exchange of hydrogen isotopes in gaseous hydrogen on irradiation, which is a chain reaction, has been shown by use of sources of tritium @-particles and 210Po cc-particles to take place with very high yields, the chain processes being limited only by the walls of the vessel and impurities. 524 Decomposition of carbon dioxide by radon a-particles and pile radiation, which proceeds with a very low yield in the absence of impurities, can be markedly accelerated (G = 9-10) by the addition 525 of only 0.5% of nitrogen dioxide.…”