Studies of ion solvation using pulse radiolysis

In this paper we describe our measurements of ion solvation in a series of alcohols. Benzophenone is dissolved in an alcohol at a sufficiently high concentration so that the electrons formed by radiation will react with the benzophenone molecule to form the anion. The spectrum of the anion is then observed as a function of time. As the benzophenone anion solvates, the spectrum shifts to the blue. The results of our measurements clearly show that both the size of the solvent molecules and their shapes are important in the solvation process. Different spectral relaxation processes are observed for ions than are observed for electron solvation, the simple'' ion system that has been most heavily studied. In addition, these results suggest that the rate of solvation may be different for ions in solution than for dipoles in solution. 26 refs., 3 figs

A five-picosecond electron pulse from ANL (Argonne National Laboratory) L-Band Linac

The pulse-compression system of the Argonne National Laboratory Chemistry Division L-Band Linac, presented at the 1986 Linear Accelerator Conference at Stanford, California, has been completed. A five-picosecond-wide electron pulse containing 6 {times} 10{sup {minus}9} coulomb charge has been achieved. Acceleration parameters and the pulse-width measurement technique are discussed, and future plans for the utilization of this pulse in radiation chemistry studies are presented. 5 refs., 4 figs

High energy radiation femtochemistry of water molecules: early electron-radical pairs processes

International audienceThe damages triggered by ionizing radiation on chemical and biological targets depend on the survival probability of radicals produced in clusters of ionization-excitation events. In this paper, we report on femtolysis (FEMTOsecond radioLYSIS) of pure liquid water using an innovative laser produced high-energy, ultra-short electron bunches in the 2.5-15 MeV range and high energy radiation femtochemistry (HERF) measurements. The short-time monitoring of a primary reducing radical, hydrated electron e¯¯aq, has been performed in confined ionization spaces (nascent spurs). The calculated yield of hydrated electrons at early time,G(e⁻aq)ET , is estimated to be 6.5 ± 0.5 (number/100 eV) at t ~ 5 ps after the ultrafast energy deposition. This estimated value is high compare to (i) the available data of previous works that used scavenging techniques; (ii) the predictions of stochastic water radiolysis modelling for which the initial behaviour of hydrated electron is investigated in the framework of a classical diffusion regime of independent pairs. The HERF developments give new insights into the early ubiquitous radical escape probability in nascent aqueous spurs and emphasize the importance of short-lived solvent bridged electron-radical complexes [H3O+...e⁻aq..OH]nH2O (non-independent pairs). A complete understanding of the G(e⁻aq)ET value needs to account for quantum aspects of 1s-like trapped electron ground state and neoformed prototropic radicals that govern ultra-fast recombination processes within these non-independent pair configurations. Femtolysis data emphasize that within a time-dependent non-diffusion regime, spatio-temporal correlations between hydrated electron and nearest neighbours OH radical or hydrated proton (H3O+) would assist ultrafast anisotropic 1D recombination within solvent bridged electron-radical complexes. The emerging HERF domain would provide guidance for understanding of ultrashort-lived sub-structure of tracks and stimulate future semi-quantum simulations on prethermal radical reactions