Effects of β-, γ-radiolysis on cesium iodide solutions in contact with simulated silver metal aerosol

While silver-free, air saturated cesium iodide solutions (1 mMole CsI/l, pH 7) are rather stable even in a strong radiation field (Co-60; 0.5 Mrad/h; 300C), the addition of silver metal as 2 μ-particles produces significant changes. Even without irradiation and in total darkness, more than half of the cesium iodide is converted to silver iodide within 10 hours at room temperature. The described β-, γ-field accelerates silver iodide formation by a factor of roughly three. In all these experiments, a steady state fraction of elemental iodine of typically 0.4% with 0.1% as an absolute minimum is encountered. This steady state concentration of a volatile iodine species so far lacks a theoretical explanation. (author)