Electron trapping in alcohol clusters in γ-irradiated alcohol-2,2,4-trimethylpentane- 2,2-dimethylbutane glasses at 77 K

Abstract

An optical absorption study has been made on electrons [Formula: see text] trapped in alcohol clusters in γ-irradiated 1-propanol (PrOH) – 2,2,4-trimethylpentane (TMP) – 2,2-dimethylbutane (DMB), 1-butanol (BuOH) – TMP – DMB, and 1-pentanol (PnOH) –– TMP – DMB mixture glasses at 77 K. Hitherto electron transfer from the hydrocarbon region into alcohol clusters has been known to be a major process for [Formula: see text] formation in γ-irradiated alcohol–hydrocarbon glasses. However, in the present systems of PrOH–TMP–DMB, BuOH–TMP–DMB, and PnOH–TMP–DMB, this type of electron transfer was not observed and the [Formula: see text] formation was found to result only from the direct radiolysis of alcohols. In the alcohol concentration range lower than 0.2 electron fraction the yields of [Formula: see text] are less than those expected from the direct radiolysis of alcohols. The average number of alcohol molecules in a cluster in these systems is estimated to be four in the lower alcohol concentration range studied. The position of the absorption maxima for [Formula: see text] in these systems is constant within experimental uncertainties independent of alchohol concentration, which is consistent with the results of a semicontinuum model calculation.