CHEMICAL EFFECTS OF THE Br81(γ,α) As77 REACTION IN BROMIDES

An investigation has been made of the chemical forms of the arsenic produced when solid bromides, following irradiation with high-energy gamma rays, are dissolved in aqueous solution. The As77 is found to appear in both the pentavalent and the trivalent forms, the ratio AsV/AsIII increasing with an increase in the number of moles of water present in the hydrated solid. For the monohydrate of lithium bromide, the ratio depends upon the pH of the solution in which the solid is dissolved.