Xenon Isotopes in Tellurobismuthite, Boliden, Sweden

Author

B. Srinivasan
Emmit Calvin Alexander Jr.
Oliver Manuel, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow

Abstract

The isotopic composition of xenon is reported in four different samples of tellurobismuthite, Boliden, Sweden, of varying tellurium content. It is observed that excess ¹²⁹Xe, ¹³⁰Xe and ¹³¹Xe, vary proportionately to the tellurium content of the sample. From the excess ¹³⁰Xe measurement, the half-life for double beta decay of ¹³⁰Te is calculated to be 2·51 × 10²¹ yr. From the observed excess of ¹²⁸Xe in the most tellurium rich sample, the half-life for the double beta decay of ¹²⁸Te is estimated to be greater than 2·7 × 10²³ yr. It is shown that solar neutrino induced reactions on ¹²⁸Te and ¹³⁰Te do not contribute significantly to the observed excesses of ¹²⁸Xe and ¹³⁰Xe. The isotopic composition of xenon in a pyrite sample from the Boliden mine and in two samples of the cesium-rich mineral, pollucite, are used to examine previous hypotheses for the origin of excess ¹²⁹Xe and ¹³¹Xe in tellurium ores. It is shown that these two xenon isotopes are produced in situ by nuclear reactions on tellurium.

Recommended Citation

B. Srinivasan et al., "Xenon Isotopes in Tellurobismuthite, Boliden, Sweden," Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, vol. 34, pp. 2381 - 2396, Pergamon Press Ltd., Aug 1972.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1902(72)80183-0

Department(s)

Chemistry

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0022-1902

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 1972 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Aug 1972