Irradiation Damage Centers in Magnesiumhypophosphite

Abstract

Abstract An analysis of the electron spin resonance spectra of gamma-irradiated crystals of magnesium-hypophosphite, Mg (H2PO2)2 · 6 H2O, has shown that the main long-lived paramagnetic species produced by gamma-irradiation are HPO2 - and PO3 - ionic radicals. The hyperfine interaction tensor of the phosphorous nucleus has the principal values T|| = 1674, T⊥ = 1221 Mc/s in HPO2 - and T|| = 2490, T⊥ = 1847 Mc/s in PO3 -. In HPO2 - , interaction of the unpaired electron with the proton gives rise to an almost isotropic hyperfine coupling of 233 Mc/s. These results indicate that the orbitals occupied by the unpaired electron in both HPO2 - and PO3 = are sp3 -hybrid σ-orbitals centered on the phosphorous nuclei.