The Radiation Chemistry of Liquid Water: Principles and Applications

Abstract

An overview of the radiation chemistry of water is given from the start of its systematic study some 60 years ago to the present day. Attention is confined to the effects of low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation at ambient temperature and pressure because these are the conditions most commonly used in the application of water radiolysis as a tool in general chemistry. After a brief historical perspective, a scheme for the radiation chemistry of water is presented together with a review of recent results of stochastic and deterministic modelling of the spur reactions that occur between 10 12 and 10 7 sec. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the evolution of the yields (G-values) of e aq , H . , . OH, H2, and H2O2 resulting from the spur reactions and how they are measured using scavengers, or by direct observation using pulse radiolysis. Next, the physical and chemical properties of e aq, H . , and . OH are presented, followed by methods of converting these primary radicals to secondary ones of a single kind, either oxidizing or reducing, and covering a wide range of reduction potentials. From this information, one can determine what G-values to use for the radicals and can tune the reduction potential for the chemical system of interest. Finally, reference is made to a recently published textbook [Radiation Chemistry. Present Status and Future Prospects, Jonah, C. D., Rao, B. S. M., Eds.; Elsevier: Amsterdam, 2001] that gives details of the wide range of chemical studies that have been made using water radiolysis as a tool.