Uranyl photochemistry with alkenes: Distinguishing between H-atom abstraction and electron transfer

Uranyl Photochemistry with Alkenes: Distinguishing between H-Atom Abstracti on and Electron Transfer We have studied the quenching of the uranyl ion in aqueous acetonitrile with a series of alkenes. The quenching rate constant (k(q)) increases linearly with decreasing ionization potential (IP) for a series of hexene isomers, as seen in a plot of In (k(q)) vs IP; no correlat ion is observed between the quenching rate and the bond dissociation energy of the allylic C-H bond. These results demonstrate that the mechanism of q uenching for alkenes is electron transfer from the alkene to uranyl.