The History and Development of Radiation Chemistry

Abstract

Stemming from the discovery and isolation of radioactive elements by the Curies came observations of chemical and physical changes produced by ‘emanations’. From ~1900 AD, observations were sporadic and spread across a range of chemical systems. Several conflicting results from irradiated water were reported – one recording no decomposition, whereas another study observed hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide formation. The field progressed slowly while the only practical source of radiation was X-rays. After the mid-1940s, the isotope output from nuclear reactors gave chemists high-activity radiation sources with which to conduct experiments. Particle accelerators were utilized and led to the pulsed radiolysis technique, which unlocked the door to the study of ultrafast solution reactions of free radicals and excited states. The radiation chemistry of water is now a qualitative and quantitative basis for the initiation and study of a wide range of chemical and physical processes. Polymeric systems, solid-state dosimeters, and gaseous plasmas are active areas of research. The radiological use of radiation has an active radiobiology field developing new biochemical processes involving DNA stability.