The Reactions of Energetic Tritium and Carbon Atoms with Organic Compounds

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the reactions of energetic tritium and carbon atoms with organic compounds. The chapter deals primarily with the hot-atom chemistry of tritium and carbon. There is also a huge body of work on organic halogen compounds, inorganic compounds, and organic complexes. This chapter illustrates that the reactions of atomic carbon produced with initially high kinetic energies have been studied in a variety of organic substrates. Considerable progress has been made on the reaction mechanisms involved. Many questions are now capable of solution because of (1) the flexibility in conditions of radiation intensity and substrate phase when using carbon-11 as a source of hot carbon atoms, and (2) the power of gas–liquid chromatography in allowing rapid separation and identification of organic compounds in complex mixtures. The chapter explores that new evidence on radiation effects and the availability of new techniques have opened the way for a reinvestigation of recoil work with carbon-14.