Monte Carlo simulation study of the effects of acidity and LET on the primary free-radical and molecular yields of water radiolysis — Application to the Fricke dosimeter

Abstract

Monte Carlo simulations are used to investigate the effects of acidity (pH) on the primary yields of various chemical species produced in the radiolysis of de-aerated aqueous sulfuric acid solutions over the range from neutral solution to 0.4 mol/L H2SO4. The effects of the quality of radiation, measured in terms of linear energy transfer (LET), have also been studied for LET varying from ~0.3 to 15 keV/µm at ambient temperature. Our results show that an increase in acidity (1 < pH < 4) leads to an increase in the yield [Formula: see text] of the "reducing" free radicals (hydrated electron and H• atom) and a slight increase in G·OH and [Formula: see text], while there is a slight decrease in [Formula: see text] At pH < 1, •OH radicals react with HSO4- anions to form SO4·– radicals, resulting in a steep decrease in G.OH. By contrast, in the range of pH from ~4 to 7, the calculated yield values are independent of sulfuric acid concentration. In both neutral water and 0.4 mol/L H2SO4 (pH 0.46) solutions, the primary molecular yields increase upon increasing LET to ~15 keV/µm with a concomitant decrease in those of free radicals. As an exception, GH. at first increases with LET, reaching a maximum near 6.5 keV/µm before decreasing steeply at higher LET. The results obtained are generally in good agreement with available experimental data over the whole acidity and LET ranges studied. Finally, as an application, we have simulated the radiation-induced oxidation of ferrous sulfate solutions in aerated aq. 0.4 mol/L H2SO4 (Fricke dosimeter) as a function of time up to ~50 s and addressed the effects of LET on the resulting ferric ion yield at 25 °C. The production of Fe3+ ions is highly sensitive to free-radical yields, especially H• atoms (via formation of HO2•), resulting in a marked decline of G(Fe3+) with increasing LET. The general trend of the observed variation of G(Fe3+) with radiation quality is well reproduced by our computed Fe3+ ion yield values.Key words: liquid water, acidic (H2SO4) aqueous solutions, radiolysis, free-radical and molecular yields, linear energy transfer (LET), Fricke dosimeter, Monte Carlo simulations.