Catalysis of isotopic exchange in nitric oxide

Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth, Israël, and Rutgers, The State University, Newark 2, N. J, U.S.A., U.S.A..

Abstract

The rate of isotopic exchange in nitric oxide has been studied over the temperature range - 80 °C to + 125 °C, using a mass spectrometer to measure the intensity of the ¹⁶N¹⁸O peak when ¹⁴N¹⁸O and ¹⁵N¹⁶O samples are mixed. Exchange does not take place in rigorously purified nitric oxide samples, but is catalyzed by small amounts of nitrogen dioxide. The rate constants of the exchange at - 80 °C and at + 125 °C are both lower than the value at 23 °C.