RADIOCHEMICAL DECOMPOSITION OF LEAD STYPHNATE

Radiochemical decomposition of a detonator - lead styphnate - is studied by three complementary methods: 1) chemical analysis, 2) IR spectroscopy, and 3) a microgasometric method which records the amount of gaseous products retained by the crystal lattice of an irradiated sample. It is established that the radiolysis of lead styphnate occurs primarily with the formation of solid decomposition products. An anomalous temperature dependence of the radiolysis yield of lead styphnate is discussed. A radiolysis sequence is presented which explains the experimental results.