Effect of pH on H2O2 Production in the Radiolysis of Water

The yields of hydrogen peroxide have been measured in the radiolysis of aqueous solutions of acrylamide, bromide, nitrate, and air in the pH range of 1-13. Hydrogen peroxide is the main stable oxidizing species formed in the radiolysis of water, and its long-term yield is found to be very sensitive to the system used in the measurements. Experiments with gamma-irradiation combined with model calculations show that the primary yields of hydrogen peroxide are nearly independent of pH in the range of 2-12. Slightly higher primary yields are suggested at very low pH in particular when O-2 is present, while the yields seem to decrease at very high pH. Irradiations were performed with 5 MeV H ions, 5 MeV He ions, and 10 MeV C ions to evaluate the intratrack and homogeneous kinetic contributions to H2O2 formation with different ions. Many of the trends in hydrogen peroxide yields with pH observed with gamma-irradiations are observed with irradiation by the heavy ions. The lower yields of radicals in the homogeneous phase with the heavier ions tend to minimize the effects of radicals on the hydrogen peroxide yields at long times.