Radiation-induced reactions of antimony and tellurium compounds in sulfuric acid solutions

In deaerated 0.4 M H2SO4 solutions containing both Sb(III) and Sb(V), Sb(III) was oxidized to Sb(V) and Sb(V) was reduced to Sb(III) by γ rays. The initial yield of reduction G/sub i/(Sb(V) → Sb(III)) increased linearly with the ratio [Sb(V)]0/[Sb(III)]0, that of oxidation G/sub i/(Sb(III) → Sb(V)) increased with increasing G/sub i/(Sb(V) → Sb(III)), and the overall yield of oxidation G/sub i/(Sb(V)) = G/sub i/(Sb(III) → Sb(V)) - G/sub i/(Sb(V) → Sb(III)) was constant and equivalent to the primary yield of hydrogen g/sub H2/ = 1/2(g/sub OH/ - g/sub H/) + g/sub H2O2/. A possible mechanism of γ-ray-induced reactions in deaerated solutions was proposed in which Sb(III) was reduced by H and oxidized by OH, Sb(II) was oxidized by H2O2, and Sb(IV), and the disproportionation of Sb(IV) to Sb(III) and Sb(V) followed. In the presence of Sb(V), reduction of Sb(V) by H gives the same stoichiometry. The results on Te(IV) and Te(VI) in 0.02 M H2SO4 solutions support a similar sequence to that of the antimony system, in which the unstable valence states Te(III) and Te(V) play an important part