The effect of boron compound additives on hydrazine formation in the radiolysis of an aqueous solution of ammonia has been studied. Suitable boron compounds such as NH
4BF
4 and C
2H
5NH
2BF
3 were used as source of
10B(n, α)
7Li reaction. Ammonium hydroxide containing an additive was irradiated with thermal neutrons in the reactor KUR, When NH
4BF
4 was added to 15M ammonium hydroxide, the yield of hydrazine depended on the boron concentration but did not depend on the irradiation time. On the other hand, hydrazine formed in the presence of C
2H
5NH
2BF
3 had a maximum value at about 5×10
21eV/ml absorption dose. The characteristics of the added boron compounds are discussed with comparisons made between radiolysis incited by in-pile and
60Co γ irradiation. The effects of the additives are explained in terms of the hot atom effect of
10B(n, α)
7Li reaction and the protecting effect of the resulting Lewis type acid, which inhibits the decomposition of hydrazine by scavenging the •H and •NH
2 radicals.
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