Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

Hot spots of radiation damage from extensive water ionization around metal ions

Radiation damage in biological systems by radicals and low-energy electrons formed from water ionization is a consequence of ultrafast processes that follow core-level ionization of hydrated metal ions. More details of the complex pathway are now revealed from the study of aluminium-ion relaxation through sequential electron-transfer-mediated decay.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Radiation damage ‘hot spots’ around solvated metal ions through electron-transfer-mediated decay.

References

  1. Sanche, L. Beyond radical thinking. Nature 461, 358–359 (2009). This news & views article gives context for a report of DNA damage caused by low-energy electrons.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Alizadeh, E., Orlando, T. M. & Sanche, L. Biomolecular damage induced by ionizing radiation: the direct and indirect effects of low-energy electrons on DNA. Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 66, 379–398 (2015). This review discusses biological damage after X-ray ionization.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Stumpf, V., Gokhberg, K. & Cederbaum, L. S. The role of metal ions in X-ray-induced photochemistry. Nat. Chem. 8, 237–241 (2016). This paper presents predictions of the decay cascades following core ionization in hydrated metal ions, including ETMD.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Malerz, S. et al. A setup for studies of photoelectron circular dichroism from chiral molecules in aqueous solution. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 93, 015101 (2022). This paper covers the set-up for liquid-jet electron spectroscopy.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Gopakumar, G. et al. Radiation damage by extensive local water ionization from two-step electron-transfer-mediated decay of solvated ions. Nat. Chem. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-023-01302-1 (2023).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hot spots of radiation damage from extensive water ionization around metal ions. Nat. Chem. 15, 1338–1339 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-023-01332-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-023-01332-9

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing