Reactions of Methane with Iodine Activated by Radiative Neutron Capture

Abstract

About 50 percent of the I¹²⁸ atoms formed by the I¹²⁷(n, γ)I¹²⁸ reaction in gaseous mixtures of 0.2 mm of iodine and 400 mm of methane enter combination as methyl iodide, whereas much less than 1 percent of iodine atoms produced simultaneously by the photochemical dissociation of the iodine do so. By contrast, about 1 percent of the I¹²⁸ formed by the I¹²⁷(n, γ)I¹²⁸ reaction in gaseous mixtures of iodine and ethyl iodide enters organic combination. The solubility of iodine in pure liquid methane is less than 10⁻¹⁰ m/1 but as much as 3×10⁻⁵ m/1 may be dissolved when air has been allowed to condense in the methane. In such solutions I¹²⁸ from the I¹²⁷(n, γ)I¹²⁸ reaction is able to enter organic combination as methyl iodide, ethyl iodide, and higher boiling material.