Temperature dependence of solvated electron diffusion in water and water-d2

Exploring the Unusual Reactivity of the Hydrated Electron with CO2

Many questions remain about the reactions of the hydrated electron despite decades of study. Of particular note is that they do not appear to follow the Marcus theory of electron transfer reactions, a feature that is yet to be explained. To investigate these issues, we used ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations to investigate one of the better studied reactions, the hydrated electron reduction of CO2. The rate constant for the hydrated electron-CO2 reaction complex to react to form CO2- is for the first time estimated from AIMD simulations. Results at 298 and 373 K show the rate constant is insensitive to temperature, consistent with the low measured activation energy for the reaction, and the implications of this behavior are examined. The sampling provided by the simulations yields insight into the reaction mechanism. The reaction is found to involve both solvent reorganization and changes in the carbon dioxide structure. The latter leads to significant vibrational excitation of the bending and symmetric stretch vibrations in the CO2- product, indicating the reaction is vibrationally nonadiabatic. The former is estimated from the calculation of an approximate collective solvent coordinate and the free energy in this coordinate is determined. These results indicate that AIMD simulations can reasonably estimate hydrated electron reaction activation energies and provide new insight into the mechanism that can help illuminate the features of this unusual chemistry.

Spectroscopy and dynamics of the hydrated electron at the water/air interface

The hydrated electron, e-(aq), has attracted much attention as a central species in radiation chemistry. However, much less is known about e-(aq) at the water/air surface, despite its fundamental role in electron transfer processes at interfaces. Using time-resolved electronic sum-frequency generation spectroscopy, the electronic spectrum of e-(aq) at the water/air interface and its dynamics are measured here, following photo-oxidation of the phenoxide anion. The spectral maximum agrees with that for bulk e-(aq) and shows that the orbital density resides predominantly within the aqueous phase, in agreement with supporting calculations. In contrast, the chemistry of the interfacial hydrated electron differs from that in bulk water, with e-(aq) diffusing into the bulk and leaving the phenoxyl radical at the surface. Our work resolves long-standing questions about e-(aq) at the water/air interface and highlights its potential role in chemistry at the ubiquitous aqueous interface.

TOPAS-nBio simulation of temperature-dependent indirect DNA strand break yields

Current Monte Carlo simulations of DNA damage have been reported only at ambient temperature. The aim of this work is to use TOPAS-nBio to simulate the yields of DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) and double-strand breaks (DSBs) produced in plasmids under low-LET irradiation incorporating the effect of the temperature changes in the environment. A new feature was implemented in TOPAS-nBio to incorporate reaction rates used in the simulation of the chemical stage of water radiolysis as a function of temperature. The implemented feature was verified by simulating temperature-dependent G-values of chemical species in liquid water from 20 °C to 90 °C. For radiobiology applications, temperature dependent SSB and DSB yields were calculated from 0 °C to 42 °C, the range of available published measured data. For that, supercoiled DNA plasmids dissolved in aerated solutions containing EDTA irradiated by Cobalt-60 gamma-rays were simulated. TOPAS-nBio well reproduced published temperature-dependent G-values in liquid water and the yields of SSB and DSB for the temperature range considered. For strand break simulations, the model shows that the yield of SSB and DSB increased linearly with the temperature at a rate of (2.94 ± 0.17) × 10−10 Gy–1 Da–1 °C–1 (R 2 = 0.99) and (0.13 ± 0.01) × 10−10 Gy–1 Da–1 °C–1 (R 2 = 0.99), respectively. The extended capability of TOPAS-nBio is a complementary tool to simulate realistic conditions for a large range of environmental temperatures, allowing refined investigations of the biological effects of radiation.

A Computer Modeling Study of Water Radiolysis at High Dose Rates. Relevance to FLASH Radiotherapy

"FLASH radiotherapy" is a new method of radiation treatment by which large doses of radiation are delivered at high dose rates to tumors almost instantaneously (a few milliseconds), paradoxically sparing healthy tissue while preserving anti-tumor activity. To date, no definitive mechanism has been proposed to explain the different responses of the tumor and normal tissue to radiation. As a first step, and given that living cells and tissues consist mainly of water, we studied the effects of high dose rates on the transient yields (G values) of the radical and molecular species formed in the radiolysis of deaerated/aerated water by irradiating protons, using Monte Carlo simulations. Our simulation model consisted of two steps: 1. The random irradiation of a right circular cylindrical volume of water, embedded in nonirradiated bulk water, with single and instantaneous pulses of N 300-MeV incident protons ("linear energy transfer" or LET ∼ 0.3 keV/µm) traveling along the axis of the cylinder; and 2. The development of these N proton tracks, which were initially contained in the irradiated cylinder, throughout the solution over time. The effect of dose rate was studied by varying N, which was calibrated in terms of dose rate. For this, experimental data on the yield G(Fe3+) of the super-Fricke dosimeter as a function of dose rate up to ∼1010 Gy/s were used. Confirming previous experimental and theoretical studies, significant changes in product yields were found to occur with increasing dose rate, with lower radical and higher molecular yields, which result from an increase in the radical density in the bulk of the solution. Using the kinetics of the decay of hydrated electrons, a critical time (τc), which corresponds to the "onset" of dose-rate effects, was determined for each value of N. For the cylindrical irradiation model, τc was inversely proportional to the dose rate. Moreover, the comparison with experiments with pulsed electrons underlined the importance of the geometry of the irradiation volume for the estimation of τc. Finally, in the case of aerated water radiolysis, we calculated the yield of oxygen consumption and estimated the corresponding concentration of consumed (depleted) oxygen as a function of time and dose rate. It was shown that this concentration increases substantially with increasing dose rate in the time window ∼1 ns-10 µs, with a very pronounced maximum around 0.2 µs. For high-dose-rate irradiations (>109 Gy/s), a large part of the available oxygen (∼0.25 mM for an air-saturated solution) was found to be consumed. This result, which was obtained on a purely water radiation chemistry basis, strongly supports the hypothesis that the normal tissue-sparing effect of FLASH stems from temporary hypoxia due to oxygen depletion induced by high-dose-rate irradiation.

Shape-controlled synthesis and in situ characterisation of anisotropic Au nanomaterials using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy

Understanding the mechanisms behind crystal nucleation and growth is a fundamental requirement for the design and production of bespoke nanomaterials with controlled sizes and morphologies. Herein, we select gold (Au) nanoparticles as the model system for our study due to their representative applications in biology, electronics and optoelectronics. We investigate the radiation-induced in situ growth of gold (Au) particles using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) and study the growth kinetics of non-spherical Au structures. Under controlled electron fluence, liquid flow rate and Au3+ ion supply, we show the favoured diffusion-limited growth of multi-twinned nascent Au seed particles into branched structures when using thin liquid cells (100 nm and 250 nm) in LCTEM, whereas faceted structures (e.g., spheres, rods, and prisms) formed when using a 1 μm thick liquid cell. In addition, we observed that anisotropic Au growth could be modulated by Au-binding amyloid fibrils, which we ascribe to their capability to regulate Au3+ ion diffusion and mass transfer in solution. We anticipate that this study will provide new perspectives on the shape-controlled synthesis of anisotropic metallic nanomaterials using LCTEM.

Structure of the aqueous electron

A cavity or excluded-volume structure best explains the experimental properties of the aqueous or “hydrated” electron.

Rapid sample delivery for megahertz serial crystallography at X-ray FELs

Liquid microjets are a common means of delivering protein crystals to the focus of X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) for serial femtosecond crystallography measurements. The high X-ray intensity in the focus initiates an explosion of the microjet and sample. With the advent of X-ray FELs with megahertz rates, the typical velocities of these jets must be increased significantly in order to replenish the damaged material in time for the subsequent measurement with the next X-ray pulse. This work reports the results of a megahertz serial diffraction experiment at the FLASH FEL facility using 4.3 nm radiation. The operation of gas-dynamic nozzles that produce liquid microjets with velocities greater than 80 m s-1 was demonstrated. Furthermore, this article provides optical images of X-ray-induced explosions together with Bragg diffraction from protein microcrystals exposed to trains of X-ray pulses repeating at rates of up to 4.5 MHz. The results indicate the feasibility for megahertz serial crystallography measurements with hard X-rays and give guidance for the design of such experiments.

The excess electron in polymer nanocomposites

We have used ab initio molecular dynamics and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G** level of theory to evaluate the energy and localisation of excess electrons at a number of representative interfaces of polymer nanocomposites.

Solvation and evolution dynamics of an excess electron in supercritical CO2

We present an ab initio molecular dynamics simulation of the dynamics of an excess electron solvated in supercritical CO2. The excess electron can exist in three types of states: CO2-core localized, dual-core localized, and diffuse states. All these states undergo continuous state conversions via a combination of long lasting breathing oscillations and core switching, as also characterized by highly cooperative oscillations of the excess electron volume and vertical detachment energy. All of these oscillations exhibit a strong correlation with the electron-impacted bending vibration of the core CO2, and the core-switching is controlled by thermal fluctuations.

Novel geminate recombination channel after indirect photoionization of water

We studied the photolysis of neat protonated and heavy water using pump-probe and pump-repump-probe spectroscopy. A novel recombination channel is reported leading to ultrafast quenching (0.7 ± 0.1 ps) of almost one third of the initial number of photo-generated electrons. The efficiency and the recombination rate of this channel are lower in heavy water, 27 ± 5% and (0.9 ± 0.1 ps)(-1), respectively. Comparison with similar data measured after photodetachment of aqueous hydroxide provides evidence for the formation of short-lived OH:e(-) (OD:e(-)) pairs after indirect photoionization of water at 9.2 eV.

Ultrafast electron transfer processes studied by pump-repump-probe spectroscopy

The photodetachment of Br(-), I(-) and OH(-) in aqueous solution is studied by 2- and 3-pulse femtosecond spectroscopy. The UV excitation leads to fast electron separation followed by formation of a donor-electron pairs. An additional repump pulse is used for secondary excitation of the intermediates. The 3-pulse technique allows distinguishing the pair-intermediate from the fully separated electron. Using this method we observe a novel geminate recombination channel of .OH with adjacent hydrated electrons. The process leads to an ultrafast quenching (0.7 ps) of almost half the initial number of radicals. The phenomenon is not observed in Br(-) and I(-). Our results demonstrate the potential of the 3-pulse spectroscopy to elucidate the mechanism of ultrafast ET reactions. Photodetachment of aqueous anions studied by two- and three pulse spectroscopy.

Monte Carlo simulation study of the effects of acidity and LET on the primary free-radical and molecular yields of water radiolysis — Application to the Fricke dosimeter

Monte Carlo simulations are used to investigate the effects of acidity (pH) on the primary yields of various chemical species produced in the radiolysis of de-aerated aqueous sulfuric acid solutions over the range from neutral solution to 0.4 mol/L H2SO4. The effects of the quality of radiation, measured in terms of linear energy transfer (LET), have also been studied for LET varying from ~0.3 to 15 keV/µm at ambient temperature. Our results show that an increase in acidity (1 < pH < 4) leads to an increase in the yield [Formula: see text] of the "reducing" free radicals (hydrated electron and H• atom) and a slight increase in G·OH and [Formula: see text], while there is a slight decrease in [Formula: see text] At pH < 1, •OH radicals react with HSO4- anions to form SO4·– radicals, resulting in a steep decrease in G.OH. By contrast, in the range of pH from ~4 to 7, the calculated yield values are independent of sulfuric acid concentration. In both neutral water and 0.4 mol/L H2SO4 (pH 0.46) solutions, the primary molecular yields increase upon increasing LET to ~15 keV/µm with a concomitant decrease in those of free radicals. As an exception, GH. at first increases with LET, reaching a maximum near 6.5 keV/µm before decreasing steeply at higher LET. The results obtained are generally in good agreement with available experimental data over the whole acidity and LET ranges studied. Finally, as an application, we have simulated the radiation-induced oxidation of ferrous sulfate solutions in aerated aq. 0.4 mol/L H2SO4 (Fricke dosimeter) as a function of time up to ~50 s and addressed the effects of LET on the resulting ferric ion yield at 25 °C. The production of Fe3+ ions is highly sensitive to free-radical yields, especially H• atoms (via formation of HO2•), resulting in a marked decline of G(Fe3+) with increasing LET. The general trend of the observed variation of G(Fe3+) with radiation quality is well reproduced by our computed Fe3+ ion yield values.Key words: liquid water, acidic (H2SO4) aqueous solutions, radiolysis, free-radical and molecular yields, linear energy transfer (LET), Fricke dosimeter, Monte Carlo simulations.

One-photon photodetachment of I− in glycerol: Spectra and yield of solvated electrons in the temperature range 329⩽T⩽536K

Solvated electrons in glycerol were generated via a resonant one-photon photodetachment of the charge-transfer-to-solvent (CTTS) band of I- in glycerol (Gl) after irradiation with a 248 nm excimer laser. Optical absorption spectra of solvated electrons (esolv-) in Gl were recorded as a function of temperature (381<or=T<or=505 K). The observed redshift of the absorption maximum, homegamax, yields a temperature coefficient d(homegamax)/dT=-(2.67+/-0.07)x10(-3) eV K-1. For solutions with a concentration c(I-) approximately 10(-3)M, the absorbance of esolv- at homegamax increases by a factor of about 65 when the temperature is raised from 329 to 536 K. This effect can be partially explained by a temperature-dependent redshift of the CTTS spectrum of I- in Gl with respect to the laser wavelength. The main contribution to the increasing yield of esolv- is determined by diffusion controlled escape dynamics of the electron in the contact pair (I:e-)solv which is formed very fast during the detachment process. At room temperature no absorption of esolv- (absorbance<1.0x10(-3)) could be observed which is probably a result of an extremely small self-diffusion coefficient of Gl (a factor of 1250 lower than that of water at 298 K). The results are compared with a previous study of I- in ethylene glycol.

Photochemistry of water: The (H2O)5 cluster

The structures of the cyclic water pentamer, the H3O+(H2O)3OH- zwitterion, and the H3O(H2O)3OH biradical form of the (H2O)5 cluster have been determined with the second-order Møller-Plesset method and with density-functional theory (DFT). The vertical singlet excitation energies of these structures have been calculated with the second-order approximated coupled-cluster method and with time-dependent DFT, respectively. The molecular and electronic structures of the H3O(H2O)3OH biradical have been characterized for the first time. The lowest electronic states of the biradical are slightly lower in energy than the vertically excited states of the covalent and zwitterionic (H2O)5 clusters and therefore are photochemically accessible from the latter. The electronic absorption spectrum of the biradical exhibits the characteristic features of the absorption spectrum of the hydrated electron. It is argued that the basic mechanisms of the photochemistry of water, in particular the generation of the hydrated electron by UV photons, can be unraveled by relatively straightforward electronic structure and dynamics calculations for finite-size water clusters.

Adsorption morphology, light absorption, and sensitization yields for squaraine dyes on SnS2 surfaces

The sensitization properties of two squaraine dyes adsorbed onto the van der Waals surface of n-doped tin disulfide single crystals were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemical techniques. Quantum yield per absorbed photon (QYAP) values of near unity were observed for submonolayer coverages of 2,4-bis(4-(N-methyl-N-hexylamino)phenyl)squaraine (1-6SQ) in aqueous electrolyte when a sufficiently positive bias was applied, demonstrating the advantages of SnS(2) as a photoanode for fundamental studies of dye sensitization. Islandlike and microcrystalline morphologies, associated with aggregate formation and revealed by AFM, could be correlated with spectral shifts in both the absorbance and photoaction spectra. A related dye, 2,4-bis(4-(N,N-dimethyl)-2-hydroxyphenyl)squaraine (1-1OHSQ), at similar coverages showed slightly lower QYAP, ascribed to a recombination path due to the different aggregate structures.

Structure of the aqueous solvated electron from resonance Raman spectroscopy: lessons from isotopic mixtures

The structure and thermodynamics of the hydrated electron are probed with resonance Raman spectroscopy of isotopic mixtures of H(2)O and D(2)O. The strongly enhanced intramolecular bends of e(-)(H(2)O) and e(-)(D(2)O) produce single downshifted bands, whereas the e(-)(HOD) bend consists of two components: one slightly upshifted from the 1,446 cm(-1) bulk frequency to 1,457 cm(-1) and the other strongly downshifted to approximately 1,396 cm(-1). This 60 cm(-1) split and the 200 (120) cm(-1) downshifts of the OH (OD) stretch frequencies relative to bulk water reveal that the water molecules that are Franck-Condon coupled to the electron are in an asymmetric environment, with one proton forming a strong hydrogen bond to the electron. The downshifted bend and librational frequencies also indicate significantly weakened torsional restoring forces on the water molecules of e(-)(aq), which suggests that the outlying proton is a poor hydrogen bond donor to the surrounding solvent. A 1.6-fold thermodynamic preference of the electron for H(2)O is observed based on the relative intensities of the e(-)(H(2)O) and e(-)(D(2)O) bands in a 50:50 isotopic mixture. This equilibrium isotope effect is consistent with the downshifted vibrational frequencies and a relative reduction of the zero-point energy of H(2)O bound to the electron. Our results enhance the cavity model of the solvated electron and support only those models that contain water monomers as opposed to other molecular species.

Is there any Correlation between the Mobility and the Absorption Spectra of Solvated Electrons in Polar Solvents?

Some years ago Jay-Gerin and Ferradini attempted to establish a correlation between the optical absorption spectrum and the mobility of excess electrons in various polar solvents (J. Chem. Phys.

Article

As a foundation for a future measurement of solvated electron mobilities in alcohol-water mixed solvents, the electrical conductances of sodium tetraphenylboride (STPB) in methanol-water, ethanol-water, and 2-propanol-water were measured at different temperatures. The molar conductivity LAMBDA 0 (10-4 S m2 mol-1) of STPB at 298 K is 70 in pure water and 82 in pure methanol; in methanol-water mixed solvents it passes through a minimum, the value being 45 at 70 mol% water. In 2-propanol-water LAMBDA 0 (10-4 S m2 mol-1) at 298 K decreases rapidly from 70 in pure water to 22.6 in 80 mol% water, then gradually to 16.5 in pure 2-propanol. Behavior in ethanol-water is intermediate, with a minimum of 29.5 in 70 mol% water, gradually increasing to 35.5 in pure ethanol. The product of LAMBDA 0 and the solvent viscosity eta has a maximum at about 75 mol% water in methanol, 90 mol% water in ethanol, and 95 mol% water in 2-propanol. The effects are attributed to changes of solvent structure and of solvated ion radius as alcohol is added to water.Key words: alcohol-water mixed solvents, electrical conductivity, large ions, solvent effects, activation energy.

Radiolysis studies on the corrosion inhibitors 1 -hexyn-3-ol, cinnamonitrile, and 1,3-diethyl-2-thiourea

In this publication we report: (i) the rate constants for reaction of the hydrated electron with 1-hexyn-3-ol ((8.6 ± 0.3) × 108 dm3 mol−1 s−1 at 18 °C), cinnamonitrile ((2.3 ± 0.2) × 1010 dm3 mol−1 s−1 at 20 °C), and 1,3-diethyl-2-thiourea ((3.5 ± 0.3) × 108 dm3 mol−1 s−1 at 22 °C). For cinnamonitrile and diethylthiourea, the temperature dependence up to 200 °C and 150 °C, respectively, is also reported; (ii) the rate constants for the reaction of the hydroxyl radical with 1-hexyn-3-ol ((5.5 ± 0.5) × 109 dm3 mol−1 s−1 at 20 °C), cinnamonitrile ((9.2 ± 0.3) × 109 dm3 mol−1 s−1 at 21 °C), and diethylthiourea ((8.0 ± 0.8) × 108 dm3 mol−1 s−1 at 22 °C). For cinnamonitrile, the temperature dependence up to 200 °C is also reported; (iii) the rate constant for the hydrogen atom reacting with 1-hexyn-3-ol ((4.3 ± 0.4) × 109 dm3 mol−1 s−1 at 20 °C). Keywords: radiolysis, corrosion inhibitors, rate constants.

Solvated electron mobility in liquid tert-butanol

The mobility μe of solvated electrons in liquid tert-butanol was estimated from the measured rate constant of the diffusion-controlled reaction [Formula: see text] combined with the measured molar conductivities of perchloric acid and ammonium perchlorate solutions; T = 300–330 K. The values μe = 4.1 × 10−8 m2 V−1 s−1 at 300 K and Eμ = 41 kJ mol−1 indicate that electrons migrate by a hopping mechanism in liquid tert-butanol. This contrasts with the ion-like diffusion mechanism of [Formula: see text] in methanol and ethanol. Keywords: tert-butanol, solvated electron, activation energy, mobility.