The decomposition of ionol (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol) by the action
of gamma -radiation in nitrous oxide-saturated aqueous solutions of lecith
in liposomes was studied. The ionol located in the nonpolar liposome layer
was shown to be consumed upon irradiation, the consumption yield growing wi
th increasing ionol concentration. This finding indicates that some portion
of OH radicals penetrate across the polar to the nonpolar layer. The ratio
of rate constants for reactions of OH radicals with the hydrocarbon moiety
of long-chain Fatty acids containing 17 carbon atoms and ionol was found t
o be 0.11 +/- 0.03 as determined by the steady-state treatment. An equation
for the flux of radicals passing through the reactive membrane (polar lipo
some layer) from the bulk of dispersion medium was obtained using the diffu
sion kinetic model. This equation describes the experimental data with the
ratio of the diffusion coefficient of OH radical in the polar zone to that
in the nonpolar zone equal to 6.5 +/- 2.5.