Lawrence Stein

Chemical Methods for Removing Radon and Radon Daughters from Air

Liquid bromine trifluoride and the solid complexes ClF2SbF6, BrF2SbF6, BrF4Sb2F11, IF4(SbF6)3 and BrF2BiF6 react spontaneously with radon and radon daughters at 25�C, converting the radioelements to nonvolatile ions and compounds. The reagents can be used in gas-scrubbing units to remove radon and radon daughters from air. The halogen fluoride-antimony pentafluoride complexes may be suitable for purifying air in uranium mines and analyzing radon in air, since they have low dissociation pressures at 25�C and are less hazardous to handle than liquid halogen fluorides.

Formation of the dixenon cation, Xe2+, in fluoroantimonate(V) media by oxidation–reduction methods: spectroscopic properties of the ion

A green species has been generated both by oxidation of gaseous xenon with a dioxygenyl salt and by reduction in antimony pentafluoride solution of the XeF+ cation, e.g. with water or a suitable metal; the Raman, u.v.-visible and e.s.r. spectra of the product are all consistent with the identity Xe2+, representing the first homonuclear noble-gas cation to be characterized in the condensed phases.

Removal of radon from air by oxidation with bromine trifluoride

Abstract An oxidation method for removing radon from air with liquid bromine trifluoride was tested with samples of ambient air containing 0·098–0·189 pCi/1 of 222 Rn. Ninety-five % of the radon was removed in a two-stage gas-scrubbing unit (20 ml liquid volume) at a flow rate of 130 ml/min, and smaller percentages were removed at higher flow rates (minimum of 76% at 640 ml/min). The possibility of purifying air in uranium mines with bromine trifluoride and other oxidants is discussed.

Complex of cesium and rubidium fluorides with bromine trifluoride

Abstract Vibrational spectra are reported for the new complexes CsF·3BrF 3 , RbF·3BrF 3 , and RbF·2BrF 3 and the previously known complex CsF·2BrF 3 . The spectra suggest that these compounds are salts having general formulas M + Br 3 F − 10 and M + Br 2 F − 7 .

Spontaneous reactions of xenon, flourine and antimony pentaflouride

Abstract Mixtures of xenon and fluorine gases react spontaneously with liquid antimony pentafluoride in the dark to form solutions of XeF+Sb2F−11. Dixenon cation, Xe+2, is formed as a labile intermediate product and is oxidized by the fluorine to XeF+ cation. The rate of the overall reaction is proportional to the partial pressure of xenon and the partial pressure of fluorine. This direct combination of reagents provides a simple method for the preparation of XeF+Sb2F−11.

Collection of radon with solid oxidizing reagents.

Although it is generally considered to be inert, radon reacts spontaneously at ambient temperature with a number of fluorine-containing compounds, including dioxygenyl salts, fluoronitrogen salts, and halogen fluoride-metal fluoride complexes. A method for the collection of radon from air, using either dioxygenyl hexafluoroantimonate (O/sub 2//sup +/SbF/sub 6//sup -/) or hexafluoroiodine hexafluoroantimonate (IF/sub 6//sup +/SbF/sub 6//sup -/) reagent, is described. The air is passed though a drying tube and then through a bed of the reagent, which captures radon as a nonvolatile product. In tests with radon-air mixtures containing 45-210000 pCi/L of radon-222, more than 99% of the radon was retained by beds of powders (2.3-3.0 g of compound/cm/sup 2/) and pellets (7.5-10.9 g of compound/cm/sup 2/). The gas mixtures were designed to simulate radon-contaminated atmospheres in underground uranium mines. No dependence of collection efficiency upon radon concentration was observed. The method can be used for the analysis of radon-222 (by measurement of the ..gamma.. emissions of the short-lived daughters, lead-214 and bismuth-214) and the purification of small volumes of air.

New evidence that radon is a metalloid element: ion-exchange reactions of cationic radon

Cationic radon in 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane displaces hydrogen, sodium, and potassium ions in solid materials, such as Nafion resins (H+ and K+ forms), potassium hexafluorophosphate, and sodium hexafluoroantimonate; radon in this state can be quantitatively collected by ion-exchange and eluted with bromine trifluoride in sulphuryl chloride.

Raman spectra of perbromate, perchlorate and fluorosulfate ions in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride

Abstract When KBrO 4 , KClO 4 and KSO 3 F are dissolved in anhydrous HF, partial protonation takes place, and the Raman spectra of the solutions show not only the bands of the anions BrO − 4 , ClO − 4 and SO 3 F − but also some that can be assigned to the corresponding undissociated acids. Some features of these spectra will be discussed. In the perbromate case, this is the first observation of the undissociated HBrO 4 . By quantitative measurement of the relative intensities of the acid and anion bands as a function of concentration, it is possible to estimate the equilibrium constants for the protonation equilibria all of which lie rather far to the left. Evaluation of these constants permits us to compare the acid strengths of the three acids. Thus it appears that HBrO 4 is a significantly stronger acid than HClO 4 .

Reactions of dioxygenyl hexafluoroantimonate with water, carbon monoxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide

Abstract The following gaseous products are released, in addition to oxygen, in reactions of O2SbF6 with water, CO, CH4 and SO2, respectively: O3, COF2, CHF3 and SO2F2. Nitrogen dioxide forms the solid complex NO2SbF6, and nitric oxide forms a mixture of NOSbF6 and NO2SbF6. No reaction of CO2 with O2SbF6 has been observed.