Iridium , and

Gammagraphic weld inspection in the lower range of steel thicknesses has been done with Iridium and Ytterbium isotope sources throughout the past. The large majority of applications has been using Iridium due to the unfavourable economical parameters of Ytterbium, obviously with non-optimal results at thin wall inspections. 

A further advantage is the Selenium halflife of 120 days, which is 60% more when compared to iridium and a factor of approx. 4 when compared to Ytterbium. These differences turn out to be an important economical aspect when comparing the different sources, as they are a direct measure of the useful life of sources. The short halflife and the very high costs for Ytterbium sources have been the main factors for the rather low importance of Ytterbium in the full range of gamma radiography. 

As visualized by the different radiation constants of 0.48 ( iridium) and 0.203 ( Selenium) exposure times differ by an approximate factor of 2.5 with slight variations depending on the actual material thicknesses under inspection. 

Table 6 Comparison of CERL double wire sensitivity vs. steel thickness for Selenium, Iridium and X-rays [4]...

The element is silvery white with a metallic luster its density is exceeded only by that of platinum, iridium, and osmium, and its melting point is exceeded only by that of tungsten and... 

Iridium is not attacked by any of the acids nor by aqua regia, but is attacked by molten salts, such as NaCl and NaCN. The specific gravity of iridium is only very slightly lower than osmium, which is generally credited as the heaviest known element. Calculations of the densities of iridium and osmium from the space lattices give values of 22.65 and 22.61 g/cm 3, respectively. These values may be more reliable than actual physical measurements. At present, therefore, we know that either iridium or osmium is the densest known element, but the data do not yet allow selection between the two. 

Conditions cited for Rh on alumina hydrogenation of MDA are much less severe, 117 °C and 760 kPA (110 psi) (26). With 550 kPa (80 psi) ammonia partial pressure present ia the hydrogenation of twice-distilled MDA employing 2-propanol solvent at 121°C and 1.3 MPa (190 psi) total pressure, the supported Rh catalyst could be extensively reused (27). Medium pressure (3.9 MPa = 566 psi) and temperature (80°C) hydrogenation usiag iridium yields low trans trans isomer MDCHA (28). Improved selectivity to aUcychc diamine from MDA has been claimed (29) for alumina-supported iridium and rhodium by iatroduciag the tertiary amines l,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane [280-57-9] and quiaucHdine [100-76-5]. 

Selected physical properties of rhenium are summarized ia Table 1. The metal is silvery-white and has a metallic luster. It has a high density (21.02 g/cm ). Only platinum, iridium, and osmium have higher densities. The melting poiat of rhenium is higher than that of all other elements except tungsten (mp 3410°C) and carbon (mp 3550°C). 

Sulfur combines direcdy and usually energetically with almost all of the elements. Exceptions include gold, platinum, iridium, and the hehum-group gases (19). In the presence of oxygen or dry air, sulfur is very slowly oxidized to sulfur dioxide. When burned in air, it forms predominantly sulfur dioxide with small amounts of sulfur trioxide. When burned in the presence of moist air, sulfurous acid and sulfuric acids are slowly generated. 

Pyridazines form complexes with iodine, iodine monochloride, bromine, nickel(II) ethyl xanthate, iron carbonyls, iron carbonyl and triphenylphosphine, boron trihalides, silver salts, mercury(I) salts, iridium and ruthenium salts, chromium carbonyl and transition metals, and pentammine complexes of osmium(II) and osmium(III) (79ACS(A)125). Pyridazine N- oxide and its methyl and phenyl substituted derivatives form copper complexes (78TL1979). 

Rapoport s findings have been confirmed in the authors laboratory where the actions of carbon-supported catalysts (5% metal) derived from ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, on pyridine, have been examined. At atmospheric pressure, at the boiling point of pyridine, and at a pyridine-to-catalyst ratio of 8 1, only palladium was active in bringing about the formation of 2,2 -bipyridine. It w as also found that different preparations of palladium-on-carbon varied widely in efficiency (yield 0.05-0.39 gm of 2,2 -bipyridine per gram of catalyst), but the factors responsible for this variation are not knowm. Palladium-on-alumina was found to be inferior to the carbon-supported preparations and gave only traces of bipyridine,... 

Rhodium-on-carbon has also been found to bring about the formation of 2,2 -biquinoline from quinoline, the yield and the percentage conversion being similar to that obtained with palladium-on-carbon. On the other hand, rhodium-on-carbon failed to produce 2,2 -bipyridine from pyridine, and it has not yet been tried with other bases. Experiments with carbon-supported catalysts prepared from ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and platinum have shown that none of these metals is capable of bringing about the formation of 2,2 -biquinoline from quinoline under the conditions used with palladium and rhodium. ... 

The corrosion behaviour of amorphous alloys has received particular attention since the extraordinarily high corrosion resistance of amorphous iron-chromium-metalloid alloys was reported. The majority of amorphous ferrous alloys contain large amounts of metalloids. The corrosion rate of amorphous iron-metalloid alloys decreases with the addition of most second metallic elements such as titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, nickel, copper, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, iridium and platinum . The addition of chromium is particularly effective. For instance amorphous Fe-8Cr-13P-7C alloy passivates spontaneously even in 2 N HCl at ambient temperature ". (The number denoting the concentration of an alloy element in the amorphous alloy formulae is the atomic percent unless otherwise stated.)... 

The composition of the mixed metal oxide may well vary over wide limits depending on the environment in which the anode will operate, with the precious metal composition of the mixed metal oxide coating adjusted to favour either oxygen or chlorine evolution by varying the relative proportions of iridium and ruthenium. For chlorine production RuOj-rich coatings are preferred, whilst for oxygen evolution IrOj-rich coatings are utilised. ... 

The insertion of platinum microelectrodes into the surface of lead and some lead alloys has been found to promote the formation of lead dioxide in chloride solutions" " . Experiments with silver and titanium microelectrodes have shown that these do not result in this improvement". Similar results to those when using platinum have been found with graphite and iridium, and although only a very small total surface area of microelectrodes is required to achieve benefit, the larger the ratio of platinum to lead surface, the faster the passivation". Platinised titanium microelectrodes have also been utilised. 

Ruthenium, iridium and osmium The use of a fused cyanide electrolyte is the most effective means for the production of sound relatively thick coatings of ruthenium and iridium, but this type of process is unattractive and inconvenient for general purposes and does not therefore appear to have developed yet to a significant extent for industrial application. This is unfortunate, since these metals are the most refractory of the platinum group and in principle their properties might best be utilised in the form of coatings. However, several interesting improvements have been made in the development of aqueous electrolytes. 

Ruthenium, iridium and osmium Baths based on the complex anion (NRu2Clg(H20)2) are best for ruthenium electrodeposition. Being strongly acid, however, they attack the Ni-Fe or Co-Fe-V alloys used in reed switches. Reacting the complex with oxalic acid gives a solution from which ruthenium can be deposited at neutral pH. To maintain stability, it is necessary to operate the bath with an ion-selective membrane between the electrodes . 

Iridium and osmium are rarely deposited. A new osmium bath is based on the hexachloroosmate ion . Procedures were outlined for depositing osmium on targets for nuclear reactions . 

A considerable number of the tertiary phosphine and arsine complexes of iridium(III) have been synthesized [4, 8] they generally contain 6-coordinate iridium and are conventionally prepared by refluxing Na2IrCl6 with the phosphine in ethanol or 2-methoxyethanol [154]... 

Two factors have contributed particularly to the interest in the iridium and rhodium nitrosyl compounds [179] ... 

The most successful class of active ingredient for both oxidation and reduction is that of the noble metals silver, gold, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. Platinum and palladium readily oxidize carbon monoxide, all the hydrocarbons except methane, and the partially oxygenated organic compounds such as aldehydes and alcohols. Under reducing conditions, platinum can convert NO to N2 and to NH3. Platinum and palladium are used in small quantities as promoters for less active base metal oxide catalysts. Platinum is also a candidate for simultaneous oxidation and reduction when the oxidant/re-ductant ratio is within 1% of stoichiometry. The other four elements of the platinum family are in short supply. Ruthenium produces the least NH3 concentration in NO reduction in comparison with other catalysts, but it forms volatile toxic oxides. 

The transition-metal catalyzed decomposition of thiirene dioxides has been also investigated primarily via kinetic studies103. Zerovalent platinum and palladium complexes and monovalent iridium and rhodium complexes were found to affect this process, whereas divalent platinum and palladium had no effect. The kinetic data suggested the mechanism in equation 7. 

A more elegant, but expensive, approach22 has been the use of soluble iridium and rhodium catalysts which contain coordinated dimethyl sulphoxide (e.g. IrHCl2(Me2SO)3) which promote the oxidation of sulphoxides in aqueous media, equation (8). The ease of oxidation depends on the substituents and this decreases in the order Me > Ph > PhCH2. This reaction is especially useful since sulphides are not oxidized under the reaction conditions due to the formation of strong complexes with the catalyst. 

Dimethyl sulphoxide has also been oxidized electrochemically, using either a platinum anode or a dimensionally stable anode containing iridium and selenium in 1 M sulphuric acid solution158. The former electrode requires a potential close to that required for oxygen evolution whilst the latter needed a potential 0.5 volts lower. Thus the dimension-... 

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