Gamma irradiation damage centres in KHCO3 single crystals

Abstract

Potassium bicarbonate single crystals were gamma irradiated and studied by electron paramagnetic resonance technique at room temperature. The species, responsible for the electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum, were found to be (C) over dot O-2(-) and H(C) over dot O-3 radicals. These species were found to be double in the unit cells of the single crystals. The principal values of the g tensors, the C-13 hyperfine tensors in (C) over dot O-2(-), and the hydrogen hyperfine tensors in H(C) over dot O-3 were found for each site. The radicals. were found to be quite stable at room temperature and the hyperfine tensors of the C-13 nucleus were well found for the crystals of natural abundancies of the constituent nuclei in (C) over dot O-2(-) radical, but not in H(C) over dot O-3. This is attributed to the smallness of the hyperfine constant of the C-13 nucleus in the H(C) over dot O-3 radical. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.