Photochemically Generated Thiyl Free Radicals Observed by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Sulfur-based thiyl radicals are known to be involved in a wide range of chemical and biological processes, but they are often highly reactive, which makes them difficult to observe directly. We report herein X-ray absorption spectra and analysis that support the direct observation of two different t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sneeden, E., Hackett, Mark, Cotelesage, J., Prince, R., Barney, M., Goto, K., Block, E., Pickering, I., George, G.
Format: Journal Article
Published: American Chemical Society 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57066
Description
Summary:Sulfur-based thiyl radicals are known to be involved in a wide range of chemical and biological processes, but they are often highly reactive, which makes them difficult to observe directly. We report herein X-ray absorption spectra and analysis that support the direct observation of two different thiyl species generated photochemically by X-ray irradiation. The thiyl radical sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectra of both species are characterized by a uniquely low energy transition at about 2465 eV, which occurs at a lower energy than any previously observed feature at the sulfur K-edge and corresponds to a 1s?3p transition to the singly occupied molecular orbital of the free radical. Our results constitute the first observation of substantial levels of thiyl radicals generated by X-ray irradiation and detected by sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy.