Radiation chemistry of organic molecules in solid rare gas matrices: 2. Selective deprotonation of the primary radical cations upon irradiation of oxygen-containing molecules in xenon matrices

The composition of radical products trapped after irradiation of various et hers (dimethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, methylal, 1,3-dioxolane) or acetalde hyde in xenon matrices at 15-17 K in the presence of electron scavengers wa s studied by an ESR technique. It was shown that the primary radical cation s give corresponding deprotonation products (carbon-centered radicals), rat her than stabilize in xenon, under the given experimental conditions. The d eprotonation process is characterized by extremely high selectivity; i.e., the only type of radicals resulting from deprotonation at maximum spin dens ity position was observed in each of the cases. The possible mechanism of t he reactions and the nature of their selectivity are discussed.