The excited state dynamics of phenol
in water have been investigated
using transient absorption spectroscopy. Solvated electrons and vibrationally
cold phenoxyl radicals are observed upon 200 and 267 nm excitation,
but with formation time scales that differ by more than 4 orders of
magnitude. The impact of these findings is assessed in terms of the
relative importance of autoionization versus proton-coupled electron
transfer mechanisms in this computationally tractable model system
