The results of a study to determine the relative resistance of a number of explosives to effeets of low-energy γ-rays will be presented. The data obtained from irradiating the materials at several temperatures by the 0.41 MeV γ-quantum emitted by 198Au demonstrate that no obvious correlation exists between the radiation resistance of explosives and their thermal stability, mechanical sensitivity or ignition temperature. In view of their well-known explosive behaviour, the resistance of explosives to irradiation decomposition is surprising. In some cases chemical instability during irradiation is detectable with difficulty even at doses of 106 r. It is evident from the data as well, that the chemical structures in question exhibit a varied resistance to radiation effects and suggest that resonance properties of certain molecules contribute markedly to radiation resistance.
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J. V. R. Kaufman (1958) studied this question.