Early events in radiation chemistry and in photoionization

Real-time studies of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons by pulse radiolysis and laser photoionization reveal the chemistry of the ionic species in the condensed phase. The occurrence of radical cation reactions with solvent molecules provides the core mechanism capable of explaining a wide range of observations in photoionization and radiation chemistry. The study of products and transients in photoionization of aromatic solutes in hydrocarbon and alcohol solvents illustrates several details of this “high-energy” chemistry. A reaction pathway involving ion-molecule reaction of excited ions is indicated for a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons photoionized using intense excimer laser (248 and 308 nm) pulses in hydrocarbon and alcohol solutions. We have found that condensed-phase ion-molecule reactions in radiolysis are ubiquitous and we speculate on their overall role in hydrocarbon radiolysis.