Isotopic dependences of the dielectric strength of gases: new observations, classification, and possible origins

In this paper we report: (1) the finding that the CH4/CD4 nonuniform field behavior is polarity dependent (i.e., the V/sub s/ of CD4 is lower than the V/sub s/ of CH4 for negative polarity which is just the opposite of that observed for positive polarity); (2) discuss the origins of the observed isotope effects and predict new isotopic dependences of V/sub s/; and (3) report results on the V/sub s/ of H2S and D2S for negative polarity which confirm their predicted isotopic behavior