Liquid metal cooled reactor Clementine was the first liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor and used mercury coolant, thought to be the obvious choice since it is liquid at room temperature. However, because of disadvantages including high toxicity, high vapor pressure even at room temperature, low boiling point, producing noxious fumes when heated, relatively low thermal conductivity, and a high neutron cross-section, it has fallen out of favor. Sodium and NaK (a eutectic sodium-potassium alloy) do not corrode steel to any significant degree and are compatible with many nuclear fuels, allowing for a wide choice of structural materials. They do, however, ignite spontaneously on contact
Chlorine perchlorate perchlorates: Chlorine perchlorate Chlorine perchlorate is the chemical compound with the formula ClO. This chlorine oxide is an asymmetric oxide, with one chlorine atom in oxidation state +1 and the other +7, with proper formula ClOClO. It is produced by the photolysis of chlorine dioxide at room temperature with 436 nm ultraviolet light: Chlorine perchlorate can also be made the following reactions at −45 °C. Chlorine perchlorate is a pale greenish liquid which decomposes at room temperature. It is less stable than ClO and decomposes to O, Cl and ClO at room temperature. Chlorine perchlorate reacts with metal chlorides forming