AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Surface Science Monday Sessions
       Session SS-MoA

Invited Paper SS-MoA1
Creation and Reaction of Solvated Electrons at the Vacuum-Liquid Interface

Monday, October 29, 2012, 2:00 pm, Room 21

Session: Surface Dynamics
Presenter: G.M. Nathanson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Authors: W.A. Alexander, Montana State University
J.P. Wiens, University of Wisconsin-Madison
T.K. Minton, Montana State University
G.M. Nathanson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Correspondent: Click to Email
Over the last 70 years, thousands of reactions between solvated electrons and dissolved species have been investigated in water and other protic solvents. Electrons born at the surface of the solvent, however, may react differently than those created within it. In this talk, I will describe gas-liquid scattering experiments using an impinging beam of sodium atoms that ionize upon contact and create electrons at the surface of liquid glycerol. We find that these electrons produce hydrogen atoms and hydrogen molecules, hydroxide ions and water, and glycerol radicals. Remarkably, nearly half the hydrogen atoms created near the surface escape into vacuum before reacting with the solvent .