The fate of recoil-59 Fe in an iron double complex specifically enriched with 59Fe

The trisbipyridyliron(II) cation and ferricyanide form a crystalline precipitate with the formula [Fe(bipy)3]3[Fe-(CN)6]2,1–3H2O. Samples of this complex, separately enriched with 58Fe in each complex ion, were used to study the chemical effects of the 68Fe(n,γ)59Fe reaction. The initial distribution of 59Fe-activity as well as the thermal annealing pattern are nearly the same for the two samples. This indicates that nearly all bonds to the recoiling 59Fe are broken, and that the ultimate chemical form of the 59Fe depends more upon the properties of the lattice than upon its original chemical state.