Kinetics of radiation-induced formation and thermal annealing of the nitrite ion in potassium picrate

The formation kinetics of the nitrite ion in solid potassium picrate in a γ-radiation field was studied. It was found that nitrite ions accumulate by a complex law having some features of an oscillating process. The thermal stability of NO ₂ ^- was examined, a part of nitrite ions decay following a complex law upon annealing. This phenomenon is rationalized in terms of the scheme suggesting that radiation-induced NO ₂ ^- is formed in two states, the metastable NO ₂ ^- species and the KNO₂ phase.