Radiation-Chemical Transformations of Ethylene Glycol and Its Deuterated Derivative in Deaerated Aqueous Solutions

This study is devoted to the effect of complete deuteration of the ethylene glycol carbon skeleton on the formation of its radiation-induced free-radical transformations products in deaerated aqueous solutions at pH 7.00 ± 0.10 and a dose rate of 0.064 ± 0.002 Gy/s. It has been established that the chain process of fragmentation of carbon-centered ethylene glycol radicals (∙CH(OH)CH2OH) plays an important role in the formation of acetaldehyde. The replacement of protium atoms located at carbon atoms by deuterium decreased the radiation-chemical yield of acetaldehyde in aqueous 1 M solutions of diols by a factor of 8. The results of this study indicate that the use of deuterium exchange at the carbon skeleton of organic molecules is a promising way for increasing their resistance to radiation-induced free radical fragmentation processes.