Diffusion of copper in lead: Solubility and isotope effect

Abstract

The solubility of copper in lead has been measured by a diffusion technique and found to be \ensuremath{\sim}4 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ wt% at 321.3\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, which is an order of magnitude lower than the accepted value. This low solubility may be responsible for the scatter of the data on the diffusion of copper in lead. The isotope effect for the diffusion of copper in lead has been measured by the half-life separation technique. The result, 0.23 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.08, is close to the value for the diffusion of silver in lead and much less than the value expected for a simple interstitial.