Imaging the short-lived hydroxyl-hydronium pair in ionized liquid water.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Imaging the short-lived hydroxyl-hydronium pair in ionized liquid water.
Authors:	Lin, M.-F., Singh, N., Liang, S., Mo, M., Nunes, J. P. F., Ledbetter, K., Yang, J., Kozina, M., Weathersby, S., Shen, X., Cordones, A. A., Wolf, T. J. A., Pemmaraju, C. D., Ihme, M., Wang1, X. J.
Source:	Science (pre-March 2025). 10/1/2021, Vol. 374 Issue 6563, p92-95. 4p. 2 Color Photographs.
Subjects:	Water analysis, Elementary reactions (Chemical reactions), Radiolysis, Proton transfer reactions, Electron diffraction, Chemical reactions
Abstract:	The radiolysis of water is ubiquitous in nature and plays a critical role in numerous biochemical and technological applications. Although the elementary reaction pathways for ionized water have been studied, the short-lived intermediate complex and structural dynamic response after the proton transfer reaction remain poorly understood. Using a liquid-phase ultrafast electron diffraction technique to measure the intermolecular oxygen···oxygen and oxygen···hydrogen bonds, we captured the short-lived radical-cation complex OH(H3O+) that was formed within 140 femtoseconds through a direct oxygen···oxygen bond contraction and proton transfer, followed by the radical-cation pair dissociation and the subsequent structural relaxation of water within 250 femtoseconds. These measurements provide direct evidence of capturing this metastable radical-cation complex before separation, thereby improving our fundamental understanding of elementary reaction dynamics in ionized liquid water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Description
Abstract:	The radiolysis of water is ubiquitous in nature and plays a critical role in numerous biochemical and technological applications. Although the elementary reaction pathways for ionized water have been studied, the short-lived intermediate complex and structural dynamic response after the proton transfer reaction remain poorly understood. Using a liquid-phase ultrafast electron diffraction technique to measure the intermolecular oxygen···oxygen and oxygen···hydrogen bonds, we captured the short-lived radical-cation complex OH(H3O+) that was formed within 140 femtoseconds through a direct oxygen···oxygen bond contraction and proton transfer, followed by the radical-cation pair dissociation and the subsequent structural relaxation of water within 250 femtoseconds. These measurements provide direct evidence of capturing this metastable radical-cation complex before separation, thereby improving our fundamental understanding of elementary reaction dynamics in ionized liquid water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	00368075
DOI:	10.1126/science.abg3091