High speed autowave reaction regimes in low-temperature solid state chemistry

The results of studies on new phenomena of the travelling wave type in low-temperature solid state chemistry, observed in a wide variety of solid-state chemical reactions at the temperatures of liquid nitrogen or helium, are surveyed. The processes investigated are characterised by anomalously high rates of reaction for the temperature range indicated, comparable to the rates of the fastest high-temperature combustion reactions in classical chemistry. A mechanism is proposed with an autocatalytic mechanochemical step which permits a qualitative explanation of all the characteristic features observed in the phenomenon. It is suggested that the mechanism indicated occurs widely in space chemistry and in the processes involved in the chemical evolution of the universe. The bibliography includes 67 references.