Geminate charge recombination in liquid alkane with concentrated CCl4: effects of CCl4 radical anion and narrowing of initial distribution of Cl-.

Dynamics of radical cations and electrons in an admixture of a linear saturated hydrocarbon (n-dodecane) and halocarbon (carbon tetrachloride, CCl(4)) were investigated by picosecond electron beam pulse radiolysis. The decay of thermalized electrons (e(th)(-)) observed in infrared transient photoabsorption were simply accelerated by the addition of CCl(4), giving a high rate constant of 2.3 × 10(11) mol(-1) dm(3) s(-1). The decrease of the initial yield of e(th)(-) was quantified by C(37) (50 mmol), which is linked to the reaction of epithermal electrons (e(-)) with CCl(4). In contrast, the n-dodecane radical cation (RH(2)(•+)) monitored in the near-infrared indicated a convex-type dependence of the decay rate on CCl(4) concentration, although the initial yield of RH(2)(•+) remained almost constant up to a much higher CCl(4) concentration. The decay of RH(2)(•+) was analyzed by Monte Carlo simulations of geminate ion recombination with e(th)(-), chlorine anion (Cl(-)) formed via dissociative electron attachment, and CCl(4) radical anion. The results showed a good agreement with the experiments by considering two assumptions: (1) CCl(4) radical anion formed via e(th)(-) attachment and (2) narrowing of the initial distribution of Cl(-). The decrease in the initial yield of RH(2)(•+) at high CCl(4) concentration was well explained by immediate decomposition of CCl(4)(•+) to CCl(3)(+) and hole transfer from CCl(4)(•+) to adjacent RH(2) without diffusive motion of the reactants. Time-dependent density functional theory supported the spectroscopic assignment of intermediate species in the n-dodecane/CCl(4) system. The present results would be of help in understanding the electron capture reaction in multicomponent systems such as a chemically amplified resist in lithography.