Radiation induced reactions in the ethanol-monochlorobenzene dosimeter solution

Abstract

Using gamma radiolysis, electron pulse radiolysis, laser flash photolysis and endproduct measuring techniques the basic radiation chemical processes taking place in the ethanol-chlorobenzene dosimeter (composition: 24 vol% chlorobenzene, 4 vol% water, 0.04 vol% acetone, 0.04 vol% benzene and 71.92 vol% ethanol) were investigated. The HCl, used to measure the absorbed dose, forms by dissociative electron capture of chlorobenzene yielding Cl - ions (90%) and by Cl atom elimination from neutral excited chlorobenzene molecules (10%). In both reactions phenyl radicals are left behind, which predominantly abstract H atom from ethanol molecules producing α-hydroxy-ethyl radicals and benzene. The yield of the dimer, tetramer, etc. chlorobenzene molecules is small, which is important from the aspect of the linearity of the dose-HCl concentration relation.