STRUCTURAL-CHANGES UPON SORPTION AND DESORPTION OF XE FROM CD-EXCHANGED ZEOLITE-RHO - A REAL-TIME SYNCHROTRON X-RAY-POWDER DIFFRACTION STUDY

Xe has been trapped and controllably released from Cd-exchanged zeolit e rho. The competitive sorption of H2O into the Xe-loaded sample has b een followed in real time using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction a nd a position-sensitive detector. Rietveld refinement shows that upon exposure to the atmosphere, Xe is lost in two steps involving desorpti on firstly from the double 8-rings (D8R) and then from the single 6-ri ngs (S6R). Essentially all the Xe is lost from the D8R in the first ho ur.