Reaction of iodine in the neutron irradiation of iodobenzene

Abstract

Measurements are reported on the amount of molecular iodine, labelled with ¹³¹l, that is retained in the organic form when iodobenzene is irradiated with thermal neutrons in the graphite reflector of a reactor, and with γ-rays from a ⁶⁰Co source.

It is shown that internal conversion and electronic processes associated with the (nγ) reaction and its products are more efficient, by an order of magnitude, in promoting the chemical effects, than gamma-ray absorption.