Direct optical observation of the formation of some aliphatic alcohol radicals. A pulse radiolysis study

The kinetics of the reactions of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen atoms with some aliphatic alcohols in aqueous solutions were studied using pulse radiolysis. Based on the increase in optical absorption in the UV region, the rate constants for the reaction of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen atoms with methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol ort-butyl alcohol were determined to be 9.0 × 10⁸, 2.2 × 10⁹, 2.0 × 10⁹,6.2×l0⁸ and 1.1 × 10⁶, 1.8 × 10⁷, 5.3 × 10⁷, 2.3 × 10⁵ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ respectively. The bimolecular decay rate constants for the alcohol radicals produced in methanol and ethanol were evaluated to be 2.4 × 10⁹ and 1.5 × 10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹s⁻¹. The values observed are in fairly good agreement with those reported earlier.