Radiation-chemical aspects of chemical evolution and radiation chemistry of simple cyano compounds

The role of ionizing radiation as one of energy sources for chemical evolution processes is examined. The discovery of fossil nuclear reactors in old uranium deposits of Oklo (Africa) suggest that natural nuclear reactors could have have been the sources of abundant, localized, radiation in the past of our planet. A brief survey of radiation chemistry of aqueous solutions of…

The Radiolysis of Aqueous Ammonium Cyanide: Compounds of Interest to Chemical Evolution Studies

The Radiolysis of Aqueous Ammonium Cyanide:Compounds of Interest to Chemical Evolution Studies Oxygen-free aqueous solutions of NH4CN (0.1 M, pH 9) were exposed to gamma rays from a 60Co source, the mixture of nonvolatile products was fractionated, and the fractions were analyzed. The procedures were chosen to make effective investigations of radiolytic products, and to minimize the contributions of chemical…