STUDY OF STABILIZATION ON HYDROGEN ATOMS AT 77 K AND HIGHER TEMPERATURES

A number of aqueous systems including acids, bases, salts, and some organic materials were irradiated with a Co-60 gamma-source, and then examined by ESR spectroscopy. H-atoms were found in sulfuric, phosphoric, perchloric and hydrochloric acid and in a number of phosphates. The H-atoms are unstable at 77 K in HC1 solutions. In H2SO4 and H3PO4 solutions there is an initial fast decay over a period of 20 to 40 hours, after which the sample is stable or decays very slowly. The H-atoms in perchloric acid solutions are stable at 77 K. A number of adsorbants were irradiated and examined by ESR both in the 'activated' state and when loaded with various materials. A Corning porous glass, various molecular sieves and some mixed silica alumina catalyst gave stable H-atoms when loaded with H2O. The yields are generally lower than in the aqueous systems described above. (Author)