Determination of a fraction of spin-correlated radical ion pairs in irradiated alkanes by quantum oscillation technique

Estimation of the Fraction of Spin-Correlated Radical Ion Pairs in Irradiated Alkanes using Magnetosensitive Recombination Luminescence from Exciplexes Generated upon Recombination of a Probe Pair

We suggest a convenient probe exciplex system for studies in radiation spin chemistry based on a novel acceptor-substituted diphenylacetylene, 1-(phenylethynyl)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzene that has a very short fluorescence lifetime (<200 ps) and low quantum yield (0.01) of intrinsic emission, provides efficient electron capture in alkanes and efficient exciplex formation upon recombination in pair with DMA radical cation, while exhibiting a shifted to red exciplex emission band as compared to the parent system DMA – diphenylacetylene. After chemical, luminescent, radiation and spin-chemical characterization of the new system we used the magnitude of magnetic field effect in its exciplex emission band for experimental estimation of the fraction of spin-correlated radical ion pairs under X-irradiation with upper energy cutoff 40 keV in a set of 11 alkanes. For linear and branched alkanes magnetic field effects and the corresponding fractions are approximately 19–20% and 0.28, while for cyclic alkanes they are lower at 16–17% and 0.22, respectively.

Highly efficient exciplex formation via radical ion pair recombination in X-irradiated alkane solutions for luminophores with short fluorescence lifetimes

X-irradiation of an alkane solution of N,N-dimethylaniline and diphenylacetylene (τ_f = 8 ps) produces an exciplex and yields a magnetic field effect of 20% in the exciplex emission band.

Longitudinal Electron Spin Relaxation Induced by Degenerate Electron Exchange as Studied by Time-Resolved Magnetic Field Effects

T(1) paramagnetic relaxation of radical ions induced by degenerate electron exchange (DEE) reactions is studied theoretically and experimentally. Our theoretical analysis shows that T(1) relaxation time is well described by the Redfield theory at arbitrary values of the characteristic DEE time tau. Longitudinal relaxation of norbornane (NB) radical cation is studied by means of the time-resolved magnetic field effects (TR-MFE) technique; the rate constant of DEE involving NB(*+) radical cation and NB neutral molecule is obtained. Advantages of the TR-MFE technique and its potential for measuring the short DEE times are discussed in detail.

Spin evolution of radical pair with radical containing two groups of equivalent magnetic nuclei

Analytical solution is obtained for time-resolved magnetic field effects (TR-MFE) on recombination fluorescence of radical-ion pair (RIP) containing radical ion with two groups of magnetically equivalent nuclei. The present theoretical approach is applied to three experimental systems: RIPs containing radical cations of 2,3-dimethylbutane, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, or diisopropylamine and radical anion of p-terphenyl-d14 in nonpolar alkane solutions. Good agreement between theory and experiment is found for all the three systems, hyperfine coupling constants of radical cations are obtained by fitting the experimental TR-MFE traces. The potential of the TR-MFE technique for studying radical ions with nonequivalent nuclei is discussed in detail. The wide applicability of the theoretical model and the experimental technique make them useful for studying short-lived radical species that are often beyond the reach of the conventional electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.