Effect of the physical state on the scavenging of quasi-free electrons by a solute

The reactivity of carbon tetrachloride toward quasi-free electrons generated during the decay of 57Co atoms in its alcohol solutions frozen at 80 K has been studied by Mössbauer emission spectroscopy. It has been found that an increase in CCl4 concentration to 10 mol/L slightly affects the yield of 57Fe2+ and 57Fe3+ ions as 57Co decay products. The inertness of CCl4 has been interpreted as a consequence of a change of the energy state of quasi-free track electrons results from freezing the alcohol solution. This effect inhibits the dissociative attachment reaction of scavenging of track electrons and increases the ground-state energy of quasi-free electrons (on passing to the frozen matrix), thereby fundamentally altering the energy balance of the electron scavenging reaction in comparison with the liquid medium and, hence, decreasing the rate constant of electron scavenging by CCl4.