Abstract
IN ice at 77° K containing acids such as sulphuric, perchloric and orthophosphoric, irradiated with γ-rays, hydrogen atoms were first detected by electron spin resonance by Livingston, Zeldes and Taylor1. In neutral ice, however, no hydrogen atoms were observed at 77° K although some were detected at 4° K2. It has been suggested3 that radiation-produced electrons, (H2O)−, which have been shown4 to occur in the radiolysis of aqueous solutions, may react with a hydrogen ion in the acidic ice to produce a (stable) hydrogen atom: 
In an analogous manner we may expect that a Brønsted acid such as H2PO−4 may react to form a hydrogen atom, by a proton transfer, according to the equation: 
Such reactions have been suggested to occur in aqueous solution5. In the case of bisulphate, one would have the analogous reaction: 
although there are reasons to suggest that here, as in the other cases, the reaction goes to a greater or lesser extent through an unstable intermediate, namely (HSO4)2−, which may break up according to: 
and possibly also to some extent: 
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References
Livingston, R., Zeldes, H., and Taylor, E. H., Phys. Rev., 94, 725 (1954); Farad. Soc. Disc., 19, 166 (1955).
Piette, D. H., Rempel, R. C., Weaver, M. E., and Siegel, S., J. Chem. Phys., 30, 1623 (1959).
Weiss, J. J., Nature, 186, 751 (1960).
Hayon, E. M., and Weiss, J. J., Second U.N. Intern. Conf. Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Geneva, 29, 80 (1958).
Jortner, J., Ottolenghi, M., Rabani, J., and Stein, G., J. Chem. Phys., 37, 2488 (1962).
Livingston, R., and Weinberger, A. J., J. Chem. Phys., 33, 499 (1960).
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KEVAN, L., MOORTHY, P. & WEISS, J. Formation of Electrons and of Atomic Hydrogen in γ-irradiated Ice. Nature 199, 689–690 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/199689a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/199689a0
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