Mass-Spectrometric Investigation of the Nickel—Bromine Surface Reaction

Mass-spectrometric measurements have been made of the volatile products of the reaction between nickel and bromine at nickel temperatures between 300° and 1600°K, and at bromine pressures between 10—7 and 10—4 mm Hg. Bromine dissociates on the surface at a temperature-dependent rate; the fraction dissociated is much less than that corresponding to equilibration of the incident bromine with the hot nickel surface. NiBr2 and NiBr are formed in surface reactions at rates proportional to the bromine pressure. The former product is formed between 600° and 1200°K with a maximum in the rate at 900°; the latter is formed above 1200° at a rate increasing with nickel temperature.