Solid state radiation chemistry—features important in basic research and applications

Solid state radiation chemistry is briefly reviewed with attention to some important features that distinguish it from liquid state radiation chemistry: (i) reactions of primary products of radiolysis in the solid state can proceed via a path different than that of the same material in liquid phase (example: very slow reaction of dry electron with N₂O); (ii) “molecular products” of radiolysis appear in any aqueous system, also in the solid state due to the always identical physical mechanism of heterogenous energy deposition; (iii) there are basic differences in transportation of products of radiolysis, transient and stable, in solid matrices (example: CH₃C√HCO⁻₂ decay in liquid and solid state); (iv) specific behaviour of systems of high macro- but low micro-viscosity (example: gels); (v), independence of radiolysis products formation in single and multi-ionization spurs, especially at higher LET values (example: crystalline alanine); (vi) quantitative determination of the yield of multi-ionization spurs in alanine during low LET irradiation shows similar participation of single- and multi-ionization spurs as in water.