The radiation chemistry of nitric oxide

Abstract

The yield of nitrogen from the radiolysis of nitric oxide is G(N2) = 4.5 ± 0.3 at doses from 0.1 to 1.0 × 1020 eV g−1 and at dose rates of 2.5 × 1016 and2 × 1027 eV g−1.s−1. The addition of SF6 to NO does not change this yield but in mixtures of NO with 90% Xe the addition of SF6 reduces G(N2) by an amount close to G(Xe+). These results are consistent with suppression of dissociative neutralisation in NO by clustering of the positive ion. Good agreement is obtained between the total energy absorbed and the amounts required for ionization, neutral dissociative excitation, and formation of subexcitation electrons. The neutral dissociative excitation yield is estimated to be G(NO → N + O) = 3.6 ± 0.3.