Radiation-induced Hydrolysis of Acetal: Evidence for the Reaction of H3O+ Ions in Spurs in the Radiolysis of Water

IT has recently been experimentally demonstrated that in water close to p H. 7 (ref. 1) and at p H. 4 (ref. 2), the reducing radical formed during radiolysis bears a unit negative charge. This suggests that an ejected electron escapes from its parent H 2 O + ion. It follows that H 2 O + ions should temporarily exist in a spur. The H 2 O + ions, or their hydrolysis products, H 3 O + (H 2 O + + H 2 O→H 3 O + +· OH), might cause a suitable solute to ‘see’ a spur as a volume which temporarily has a lower p H than the body of the solution. The purpose of this communication is to present some experimental results which we interpret as evidence for this effect.