Pulse Radiolysis: Fast Reaction Studies in Radiation Chemistry

Developments in the determination of absolute rate constants, made possible by the availability of electron accelerators that can deliver a highly intense electron pulse of microsecond duration, are reviewed. Characteristics of the electron pulse and the physical arrangement for irradiation of samples and detection of transient species at Argonne National Laboratory are indicated. Important observations arising from the Argonne technique are discussed. Among these are the primary species in irradiated water, a variety of aromatic and aliphatic free radicals in both water and organic liquids, and one of the primary species formed in the radiolysis of polar organic liquids. Implications of the pulse radiolysis method for future research are presented. (H.M.G.)