Diffusion of oxygen in MgO

The reaction 18O(rho, proportional to )15N can be used to detect the presence of 18O as a function of depth below the surface of a solid sample. Therefore, its use permits measurements of diffusion profiles produced by annealing a solid sample in 18O2 gas. The authors have used this technique to obtain data on oxygen diffusion rates in MgO for the temperature range 800-10000C. The close agreement between this data and results obtained by a different method gives confidence that the measured diffusion coefficients are reliable