Reduction of the alkali and alkaline earth halides in high-frequency discharges. II. The role of electrons

Abstract

The halides of Group I can be reduced to metals in low-pressure electrical discharges produced in hydrogen, helium, and nitrogen. Evidence is adduced to show that the active species are probably electrons, and that the energy conditions of the electrons are reflected in the effect of variation of gas pressure on the reduction rate. The effects of surface area and dimerization of the halides, the gas pressure, and power are also discussed, and the relationship between the reduction rate R and the power input P is shown to be R = kP^1.7, where k is a constant.