Time pulse radiolysis

This discourse tries to give an overview of the current state-of-the-art instrumentation in real-time pulse radiolysis experiments utilizing optical, conductometric and other methods. Pump-and-probe techniques for the sub-nanosecond time domain are believed to be beyond the scope of this discussion. 

Many experimental methods may be distinguished by whether and how they achieve time resolution—directly or indirectly. Indirect methods avoid the requirement for fast detection methods, either by detemiining relative rates from product yields or by transfonuing from the time axis to another coordinate, for example the distance or flow rate in flow tubes. Direct methods include (laser-) flash photolysis [27], pulse radiolysis [28]... 

FIGURE 4. Transient absorption spectrum immediately after pulse radiolysis of dimethyl sulphoxide alone. Pulse length 50 ns, dose 1000-2000rad , path length 2.5m, time resolution 3ns +, path length 5 cm, time resolution 10 ns. The dashed line represents the spectrum of the short-lived component (t1/2,14 ns), subtracted from the overlapping longer-lived component which is unaffected by N20. Reproduced by permission of the authors from Reference 29. 

More common in the liquid phase is pulse radiolysis . In this technique, electron accelerators which can deliver intense pulses of electrons lasting a very short time (ns up to fis) are used. Each single pulse can produce concentrations of intermediates which are high enough to be studied by methods such as light absorption spectroscopy or electrical conductivity. 

Laser flash experiments were also carried out with Q-CdS sols, in which the emission of hydrated electrons was observed The quantum yield was significantly greater than in similar experiments with larger particles of yellow CdS (Sect. 3.7). The electron emission was attributed to the interaction of two excitonic states in a particle produced during the flash CdS(e — h >2 CdS(h" ) + e q. The emitted electrons disappeared after the laser flash within 10 ps. After this time a long-lived absorption remained which was identical with the above-mentioned absorption of holes produced by OH radicals in the pulse radiolysis experiment. 

Transient absorption spectra changes and time profiles observed during pulse radiolysis of PtzPy-n are shown in Fig. 10. When Ptz was separated... 

Figure 14.10 shows the spectral changes over time on the pulse radiolysis of ASTA in the presence of LYC. Similar data were observed for 11 pairs of carotenoids and have allowed the electron... 

The radical cations of urazole-annelated azoalkanes 65 were generated by pulse radiolysis and the transients characterized spectrally and kinetically by time-resolved optical monitoring. The initial distonic 1,3 radical cations 66 were detected, and the methyl-substituted 66 further deprotonates to radical 67 (Scheme 1) <1997JA10673>. 

The pulse radiolysis technique gives a direct way for measuring the hydrated electron yield. To get the stationary yield, one can simply follow the electron absorption signal as a function of time and, from the known value of the extinction coefficient (Table 6.2), evaluate g(eh). Alternatively, the electron can be converted into a stable anion with a known extinction coefficient. An example of such an ion is the nitroform anion produced by reaction of eh with tetrani-tromethane (TNM) in aqueous solution ... 

The first experimental measurements of the time dependence of the hydrated electron yield were due to Wolff et al. (1973) and Hunt et al. (1973). They used the stroboscopic pulse radiolysis (SPR) technique, which allowed them to interpret the yield during the interval (30-350 ps) between fine structures of the microwave pulse envelope (1-10 ns). These observations were quickly supported by the work of Jonah et al. (1973), who used the subharmonic pre-buncher technique to generate very short pulses of 50-ps duration. Allowing... 

However, much work has to be done before these intermediates are known well enough for us to understand, and control if possible, the stereo, regio- and chemo-selectivity of the bromination of any olefin. So far, most of the available data concern the two first ionization steps, but the final, product-forming, step is still inaccessible to the usual kinetic techniques. It would therefore be highly interesting to apply to bromination either the method of fast generation of reactive carbocations by pulse radiolysis (McClelland and Steenken, 1988) or the indirect method of competitive trapping (Jencks, 1980) to obtain data on the reactivity and on the life time of bromocation-bromide ion pairs that control this last step and, finally, the selectivities of the bromination products. 

Michael and Hart10 found that the reaction of OH radicals (formed by pulse radiolysis of aqueous solutions saturated with N20) with 1,3- and 1,4-cyclohexadienes leads to formation of an intermediate absorbing at 310 nm. In the case of 1,4-cyclohexadiene, another band at A, < 240 nm was also found. In this system there are both H atoms and OH radicals, however the yield of the OH radicals is 10 times higher than that of the H- atoms. Michael and Hart10 assumed that the band at 310 nm is due to CeWi ... 

X = 0, CH2, CHCOOH, C(COOH)2, NH, NCH3 N(CH2CH=CH2), N(CHs)2 Cl Bobrowski and Das published a series of papers on the transients in the pulse radiolysis of retinyl polyenes31-37, due to their importance in a variety of biomolecular processes. They studied32 the kinetics and mechanisms of protonation reaction. The protons were released by pulse radiolysis, on a nanosecond time scale, of 2-propanol air-saturated solutions containing, in addition to the retinyl polyenes, also 0.5 M acetone and 0.2 M CCI4. Within less than 300 ns, the electron beam pulse results in formation of HC1. The protonated products of retinyl polyenes were found to absorb optically with Xmax at the range of 475-585 nm and were measured by this absorption. They found that the protonation rate constants of polyene s Schiff bases depend on the polyene chain... 

Bobrowski and Das33 studied the transient absorption phenomena observed in pulse radiolysis of several retinyl polyenes at submillimolar concentrations in acetone, n -hexane and 1,2-dichloroethane under conditions favourable for radical cation formation. The polyene radical cations are unreactive toward oxygen and are characterized by intense absorption with maxima at 575-635 nm. The peak of the absorption band was found to be almost independent of the functional group (aldehyde, alcohol, Schiff base ester, carboxylic acid). In acetone, the cations decay predominantly by first-order kinetics with half life times of 4-11 ps. The bimolecular rate constant for quenching of the radical cations by water, triethylamine and bromide ion in acetone are in the ranges (0.8-2) x 105, (0.3-2) x 108 and (3 — 5) x 1010 M 1 s 1, respectively. 

Most of the kinetic models predict that the sulfite ion radical is easily oxidized by 02 and/or the oxidized form of the catalyst, but this species was rarely considered as a potential oxidant. In a recent pulse radiolysis study, the oxidation of Ni(II and I) and Cu(II and I) macrocyclic complexes by SO was studied under anaerobic conditions (117). In the reactions with Ni(I) and Cu(I) complexes intermediates could not be detected, and the electron transfer was interpreted in terms of a simple outer-sphere mechanism. In contrast, time resolved spectra confirmed the formation of intermediates with a ligand-radical nature in the reactions of the M(II) ions. The formation of a product with a sulfonated macrocycle and another with an additional double bond in the macrocycle were isolated in the reaction with [NiCR]2+. These results may require the refinement of the kinetic model proposed by Lepentsiotis for the [NiCR]2+ SO/ 02 system (116). 

Pulse radiolysis, using as time-resolved detection methods optical absorption, luminescence, electrical conductivity or electron spin resonance can be expected to give information on the formation of transient or permanent radiation products and on their movement. 

V. Jagannadham and S. Steenken, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 106, 6542 (1984). The reaction of RCHOH, generated by pulse radiolysis, was studied with p-substituted nitrobenzenes using time-resolved optical and conductance detection. The radical anion of the nitrobenzene is produced directly and indirectly. 

The speed of the reduction by the solution radical generated in the pulse radiolysis experiment is also consistent with this proposal conformational rearrangements are highly unlikely on the microsecond time scale. 

Rate constants for the protonation of radical-anions in dimethylformamide by added phenol can be determined by electrochemical techniques [8], Pulse radiolysis methods have been used to measure the rate constants in an alcohol solvent. This technique generates the radical-anion on a very short time scale and uv-spectroscopy is then be used to follow the protonation of this species to give the neutral radical with different uv-absorption characteristics [9]. In the case of anthracene, the protonation rate is 5 x 10 M" s with phenol in dimethylformamide and 5 x 10 s in neat isopropanol. Protonation by hydrogen ions approaches the diflusion-controlled limit with a rate constant of 10 M s in ethanol [9]. 

Warman JM, de Haas MP, Dicker G, Grozema FC, Ptris J, Debije MG (2004) Charge mobilities in organic semiconducting materials determined by pulse-radiolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity 7c-bond-conjugated polymers versus tc—tc-stacked discotics. Chem Mater 16 4600... 

Fast pulse radiolysis studies have shown that geminate recombination occurs on the picosecond time scale [12,13]. Bartczak and Hummel [14] predicted that for -dodecane, 82% of the geminate ions still remain at 5 psec for 1 MeV irradiation. Future accelerators, with pulses of a few picoseconds length, may soon provide experimental measurements of Gtot directly. 

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