Hydrogen production in the radiolysis of bromide solutions

The radiolysis of water without a protecting agent is found to form a low steady-state concentration of molecular hydrogen. The addition of bromide anion leads to a linear response for molecular hydrogen production with doses up to 300 kGy. Bromide concentrations are found to remain constant over this dose range due to recycling of the oxidized species containing the bromine atom by hydrated electrons, H atoms or HO2 (O2−). This process appears to occur many times with little change in total bromide anion concentration. Efficient electron scavengers are found to have no effect on bromide anion concentration except possibly at extremely high concentrations. Nitrous oxide saturated solutions show a significant depletion of bromide anion concentration with a concurrent formation of BrO3− and a suppressed yield of molecular hydrogen.