The Oxidation State of Fission Fragment lodine in Potassium Sulphate (Thermal Annealing of K₂SO₄ Containing Fission Fragments)

Abstract

Fission fragment iodine jlodine isotopes /Separation of iodine / Thermal annealing / Uranium oxide SummaiyThe oxidation states of isotopes of iodine when they recoil as fission fragments from a thin film of iiradiated uranium oxide (U3O,) into potassium sulphate have been investigated. After irradiation the samples wäre dissolved in excess of iodate and iodide carrier and the radioactivity of the two carriers analysed. It was found that a high fraction of the iodine in potassium sulphate exchanged with the iodate form. The fraction varied for different isotopes and also with the time and temperature of annealing of the potassium sulphate after irradiation. The electron spin resonance spectra of potassium sulphates inadiated by fission fragments in a reactor have been studied. The annealing behaviour is interpreted quantitatively as reactions between the fission fragment iodine and the radicals formed in the sulphate during the irradiation. Estimations are made for the reaction rates and activation energies involved in the annealing processes.