The decoration of dislocations in crystals of silver chloride with gold

Abstract

A new method is described for the decoration of dislocations in crystals of silver chloride. The crystals are sensitized by heating them, together with gold wire and cupric chloride, in an atmosphere of chlorine in sealed tubes at a temperature of 350°c. They are then strained, exposed to light with a wavelength which is not strongly absorbed by silver chloride, and heated for a few minutes at a temperature between 140 and 160°c. Nuclei which are formed along the dislocation lines during exposure increase to visible size during the subsequent thermal treatment.

The formation of systems of prismatic dislocations around precipitates in silver chloride crystals is described and it is suggested that the observations may be relevant to the interpretation of precipitation hardening in certain alloys.