oa Isotope Effects in Palladium-Hydrogen Systems

Palladium dissolves the isotopes of hydrogen in a selective manner and can be used, therefore, to facilitate separation and concentration processes. Although simple absorption techniques permit high separation factors under equilibrium conditions, no satisfactory counter-current process capable of separation by absorption has yet been developed. Better results are obtained by using the electrolytic diffusion technique which allows kinetic separation factors to operate. These effects are discussed in the summary below which is based on a paper presented by Professor E. Wicke of the University of Munster to a Symposium held in the Chemistry Department of Queen’s University, Belfast on “The Formation and Reduction of Surface Oxides, and Processes of Hydrogen Discharge and Exchange at Noble and Quasi-noble Metal Surfaces”.