THE RADIOLYSIS OF ETHANOL: III. LIQUID PHASE

Abstract

The G values of the major products of the γ-radiolysis of liquid ethanol at a dose of 2 × 1020 eV/g are: hydrogen, 4.2; acetaldehyde, 1.9; 2,3-butanedio1, 2.2; G(—C2H5OH) = 7.5. At progressively lower doses G(H2) increases to a maximum of 5.0. The yield of water, G(H2O) = 0.5, is equal to the sum of the yields of the C2 fragments found in the other products.The approximate yields of three kinetically distinguishable sources of hydrogen were found to be [Formula: see text] G(H2) = 2.7 and G(unscavengeable H2) = 1.5. The half-life of solvated electrons with respect to reactions such as[Formula: see text]is 3 μs.Both 1,3-pentadiene and benzene inhibit hydrogen and glycol formation but neither affect the high dose yield of acetaldehyde. Pentadiene reacts with H atoms and other radicals and possibly also with [Formula: see text] Benzene appears to inhibit hydrogen and glycol formation mainly by an unidentified activation transfer process.