The Charge Transfer Photochemistry of the Hexaaquoiron(III) Ion, the Chloropentaaquoiron(III) Ion, and the µ-Dihydroxo Dimer Explored with tert-Butyl Alcohol Scavenging

Abstract

There have been several studies of the charge transfer photochemistry of aqueous Fe3+ but the complexity of hydrolytic equilibria and the requirement for scavengers to render the primary photochemical processes observable has left several issues moot as recent reports show. Using tert-butyl alcohol as a scavenger, it is shown that (at 35 °C), charge transfer irradiation at 254 nm of Fe(OH2)63+ gives free •OH with a quantum yield of 0.065, charge transfer irradiation of Fe(OH2)5Cl2+ at 350 nm gives free Cl• with a quantum yield of 0.093, and that as a result of the combined patterns of extinction coefficients and hydrolytic equilibria it is difficult to make Fe(OH2)5OH + the main absorbing species at either wavelength. The dihydroxo-bridged dimer gives only a small radical yield. The scavenger, tert-butyl alcohol, appears to react with •OH or Cl• to give •CH2—C(CH3)2OH which, on reaction with a second Fe(OH2)63+ gives HOCH2C(CH3)2OH.