Furong Wang

Unexpected Ultrafast Silver Ion Reduction: Dynamics Driven by the Solvent Structure

Picosecond pulse radiolysis measurements have been performed in neutral and highly acidic aqueous solutions containing silver ions at different concentrations. Silver ion reduction is used to understand the ultrafast chemistry of irradiated water and aqueous solutions. The absorption band measured at the end of the 7-ps electron pulses has an intense band with a maximum at 360 nm due to the formation of silver atoms. Kinetics shows that the amount of silver atom formed at the end of the electron pulse in phosphoric acid solutions is greater than that in neutral water. This unexpectedly high yield of silver atom formation cannot be explained solely by the reaction between silver ions and solvated electrons in neutral solutions nor by the reaction with hydrogen atoms in phosphoric acid solutions. To explain the observed ultrafast reduction of silver ions, the presolvated electron, be it free or paired to the hydronium cation, must react very quickly with a silver ion, potentially competing with geminate recombination of the electron and its sibling radical cation.

Reactivity of prehydrated electrons toward nucleobases and nucleotides in aqueous solution

Where does the reaction between prehydrated electrons and nucleotides lead to? DNA damage induced via dissociative attachment by low-energy electrons (0 to 20 eV) is well studied in both gas and condensed phases. However, the reactivity of ultrashort-lived prehydrated electrons (epre−) with DNA components in a biologically relevant environment has not been fully explored to date. The electron transfer processes of epre− to the DNA nucleobases G, A, C, and T and to nucleosides/nucleotides were investigated by using 7-ps electron pulse radiolysis coupled with pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy in aqueous solutions. In contrast to previous results, obtained by using femtosecond laser pump-probe spectroscopy, we show that G and A cannot scavenge epre− at concentrations of ≤50 mM. Observation of a substantial decrease of the initial yield of hydrated electrons (ehyd−) and formation of nucleobase/nucleotide anion radicals at increasing nucleobase/nucleotide concentrations present direct evidence for the earliest step in reductive DNA damage by ionizing radiation. Our results show that epre− is more reactive with pyrimidine than purine nucleobases/nucleotides with a reactivity order of T > C > A > G. In addition, analyses of transient signals show that the signal due to formation of the resulting anion radical directly correlates with the loss of the initial ehyd− signal. Therefore, our results do not agree with the previously proposed dissociation of transient negative ions in nucleobase/nucleotide solutions within the timescale of these experiments. Moreover, in a molecularly crowded medium (for example, in the presence of 6 M phosphate), the scavenging efficiency of epre− by G is significantly enhanced. This finding implies that reductive DNA damage by ionizing radiation depends on the microenvironment around epre−.

Ultrafast Scavenging of the Precursor of H• Atom, (e–, H3O+), in Aqueous Solutions

Picosecond pulse radiolysis measurements have been performed in several highly concentrated HClO4 and H3PO4 aqueous solutions containing silver ions at different concentrations. Silver ion reduction is used to unravel the ultrafast reduction reactions observed at the end of a 7 ps electron pulse. Solvated electrons and silver atoms are observed by the pulse (electron beam)-probe (supercontinuum light) method. In highly acidic solutions, ultrafast reduction of silver ions is observed, a finding that is not compatible with a reaction between the H(•) atom and silver ions, which is known to be thermally activated. In addition, silver ion reduction is found to be even more efficient in phosphoric acid solution than that in neutral solution. In the acidic solutions investigated here, the species responsible for the reduction of silver atoms is considered to be the precursor of the H(•) atom. This precursor, denoted (e(-), H3O(+)), is a pair constituting an electron (not fully solvated) and H3O(+). Its structure differs from that of the pair of a solvated electron and a hydronium ion (es(-), H3O(+)), which absorbs in the visible region. The (e(-), H3O(+)) pair , called the pre-H(•) atom here, undergoes ultrafast electron transfer and can, like the presolvated electron, reduce silver ions much faster than the H(•) atom. Moreover, it is found that with the same concentration of H3O(+) the reduction reaction is favored in the phosphoric acid solution compared to that in the perchloric acid solution because of the less-efficient electron solvation process. The kinetics show that among the three reducing species, (e(-), H3O(+)), (es(-), H3O(+)), and H(•) atom, the first one is the most efficient.

Degradation mechanisms of the ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate mixture studied by radiolysis

The reactivity of ethylene carbonate (EC) and of a EC/diethyl carbonate (DEC) mixture was studied under ionizing radiation to mimic the aging phenomena that occur in lithium-ion batteries. Picosecond-pulse radiolysis experiments showed that the attachment of the electron to the EC molecule is ultrafast (k(e-EC +EC)=1.3×109  L mol-1  s-1 at 46 °C). This reaction rate is accelerated by a factor of 5.7 compared with the electron attachment to propylene carbonate, which implies that the presence of the methyl group significantly slows the reaction. In a 50:50 EC/DEC mixture, just after the electron pulse the electron is solvated by a mixture of EC and DEC molecules, but its fast decay is attributed exclusively to electron attachment to the EC molecule. Stable products detected after steady-state irradiation were mainly H2 , CH4 , CO, and CO2 . The evolution of the radiolytic yields with the EC fraction shows that H2 and CH4 did not exhibit linear behavior, whereas CO and CO2 did. Indeed, H2 and CH4 mainly arise from the excited state of DEC, the formation of which is significantly affected by the evolution of the dielectric constant of the mixture and by the electron attachment to EC. CO formation is mainly due to the reactivity of the EC molecule, which is not affected in the mixture, as proven by pulse-radiolysis experiments.

Naked Gold Nanoparticles and hot Electrons in Water

The ionizing radiation in aqueous solutions of gold nanoparticles, stabilized by electrostatic non-covalent intermolecular forces and steric interactions, with antimicrobial compounds, are investigated with picosecond pulse radiolysis techniques. Upon pulse radiolysis of an aqueous solution containing very low concentrations of gold nanoparticles with naked surfaces available in water (not obstructed by chemical bonds), a change to Cerenkov spectrum over a large range of wavelengths are observed and pre-solvated electrons are captured by gold nanoparticles exclusively (not by ionic liquid surfactants used to stabilize the nanoparticles). The solvated electrons are also found to decay rapidly compared with the decay kinetics in water. These very fast reactions with electrons in water could provide an enhanced oxidizing zone around gold nanoparticles and this could be the reason for radio sensitizing behavior of gold nanoparticles in radiation therapy.

Ultrafast Chemistry of Water Radical Cation, H2O•+, in Aqueous Solutions

Oxidation reactions by radicals constitute a very important class of chemical reactions in solution. Radiation Chemistry methods allow producing, in a controlled way, very reactive oxidizing radicals, such as OH•, CO3•–, NO3•, SO4•–, and N3•. Although the radical cation of water, H2O•+, with a very short lifetime (shorter than 1 ps) is the precursor of these radicals in aqueous solutions, its chemistry is usually known to be limited to the reaction of proton transfer by forming OH• radical. Herein, we stress situations where H2O•+ undergoes electron transfer reaction in competition with proton transfer.

Picosecond Pulse Radiolysis Study on the Radiation-Induced Reactions in Neat Tributyl Phosphate

The ultrafast radiolytic behavior of tributyl phosphate, TBP, has been investigated using 7 ps electron pulses with 7 MeV kinetic energy, from which two key species have been observed and characterized: the TBP solvated electron (eTBP-) and the TBP triplet excited state TBP* (3a) or its fragmentation products. The eTBP- exhibits a broad absorption band in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectrum, with a maximum beyond our 1500 nm detection limit. Nitromethane was used to scavenge eTBP- to confirm its absorption spectrum and to determine its associated rate coefficient, 1.0 × 1010 M-1 s-1. The electrons molar extinction coefficients were found by an isosbestic method using biphenyl as a solvated electron scavenger. The time-dependent radiolytic yield of eTBP- was also determined directly from 7 ps to 7 ns and compared with those in water, tetrahydrofuran, and diethyl carbonate. In less than 10 ns, the decay is not due to the reaction with other solvent molecules and is instead predominantly due to the reactions with cations issued from the proton transfer by the TBP radical cation (TBP•+). In addition to eTBP-, another absorption band, stable up to 7 ns, was identified in the visible range. This has been attributed mainly to the TBP triplet excited state, TBP*(3a), by a combination of molecular modeling methodologies. Interestingly, we did not observe any absorption band in the visible nor in the NIR range arising from TBP•+. Calculations suggest that TBP•+ undergoes rapid proton transfer to yield a UV-absorbing species, TBP(-H+). Experimental results and supporting molecular simulations provide detailed identification of the earliest species yielded from the radiolysis of neat TBP.

Observation and Simulation of Transient Anion Oligomers (LiClO4)n– (n = 1–4) in Diethyl Carbonate LiClO4 Solutions

NMR measurements show that diethyl carbonate (DEC, a solvent with a low dielectric constant) solutions of LiClO4 contain (LiClO4)n oligomers. The reduction of these species by solvated and presolvated electrons is followed by picosecond pulse radiolysis measurements. The data analysis shows that several anions absorbing in the near-infrared (NIR) and visible range are formed after the 7 ps electron pulse. In contrast with tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions of LiClO4, the anionic monomer (LiClO4)- is not observed in DEC solutions. This is due to the fact that DEC is a nonpolar solvent favoring the clustering of monomers in the nonirradiated solution, as shown by NMR results, and also due to the instability of the anionic monomer. The absorption spectra of the anionic dimer (LiClO4)2-, trimer (LiClO4)3-, and tetramer (LiClO4)4- are clearly observed in NIR and visible ranges. Compared to the results obtained for the same system in THF and in agreement with simulated absorption spectra, the experimental results show that the absorption bands are shifted to the blue end of the spectrum when n increases. The kinetics recorded for the molar LiClO4 solution indicates that the solute is only in the form of oligomers (LiClO4)n with a large n value and that the reduced species absorb weakly in the visible region. Lastly, and contrary to what is known for well-separated ions in polar solvents, it is shown that the (LiClO4)n- anions are not stable with respect to self-reduction, leading to the decomposition of perchlorate anions. In this reaction, the perchlorate anion ClO4- is reduced by the Li atom into a chlorate anion ClO3-. This is proved by the presence of ClO3- and chlorinated species detected by mass spectrometry measurements in irradiated DEC solutions containing LiClO4.