Following the discovery of ionizing radiations and their chemical effects, it was important to study and comprehend the formation mechanisms of short lived free radicals and molecular products. In order to perform such studies, researchers and research groups worked on developing tools allowing both formation and detection of those species at short time scales. Nowadays, pulse radiolysis imposed itself as a fundamental and efficient tool allowing scientists to probe chemical effects as well as reaction mechanisms in studied media.The laboratoire de Chimie Physique d’Orsay “LCP” is an interdisciplinary laboratory hosting the platform of fast kinetics known as “ELYSE”. Due to its femtosecond laser and its picosecond electron accelerator, we have the possibility to study chemical effects of ionizing radiations interaction with media at ultrashort times up to ~5 ps.Knowing that we are interested in primary reactions induced in aqueous media by ionizing radiations, ELYSE represents the essential tool in performing our studies. The obtained results concern:- First direct determination of hydroxyl radical “HO•” radiolytic yield as function of time at picosecond time scale ;- Direct effect of ionizing radiation in highly concentrated aqueous solutions as well as investigation of the ultrafast electron transfer reaction between solute molecules and positive holes “H2O•+” formed upon water radiolysis ;- Study at room temperature of electron transfer reaction between solvated electron (electron donor) and organic solutes (electron acceptors) en viscous medium ;- Study at room temperature of electron’s solvation dynamics in ethylene glycol and 2-propanol.
Picosecond Pulse Radiolysis Study of Primary Reactions in Solutions