73 



Gp. Also you would get a bigger difference between hydrogen and peroxide 

 yields at higher temperature. However, we can argue that you affect everything 

 else by changing the temperature, and if you did find this effect you would not 

 know whether to attribute it to the relaxation time changes or something else. 

 The amount of hydrogen produced would be the best index, but how to interpret 

 this then is another matter. I plan to study the effect of increased temperatures 

 this summer. I had not thought of going to temperatures over 100°. That 

 would require more than one summer probably. It might be worth doing. 



BURTON: The case of liquid HI may prove interesting. Dependent on the 

 locale of capture of the electron two different chemical results might ensue. 

 Either the electron recombines with HI + within the primary excitation region or 

 gets outside and reacts with HI. In either case, no element of relaxation time 

 enters into consideration. The alternative reactions are 



HI++ e — ► H+ I (a) 



HI + e H + I" (b) 



If we examine possible consequences 



H+ HI H 2 + I (c) 



H + + I" H + 2 I (d) 



it appears that reaction via (b) results in decomposition of 3HI molecules while 

 reaction via (a) results in decomposition of 2HI molecules. Of course, inter- 

 pretation of the results will be complicated by the contribution of primarily ex- 

 cited, as contrasted with ionized, states. Nevertheless, comparison of the ra- 

 diation chemistry of liquid HI with that of gaseous HI (in which reaction (a) can 

 certainly not occur in the primary excitation region) may give interesting infor- 

 mation. 



MAGEE: I think this is probably a favorable case for capture. The electron 

 would be captured most likely as it moved away from the parent ion. In other 

 words, I think a high percentage would form I" before they could possibly get 

 back. So you have many complications. 



KAMEN: What dielectric constant do you associate with a protein? 



PLATZMAN: The dielectric absorption at microwave frequencies has been 

 measured (24). 



POLLARD: That is one of the things that is badly needed. Practically none 

 of the straight-forward physical constants have been measured for protein. I 

 mean such things as specific heat, etc. I measured the thermal expansion and 

 I found a large coefficient. It was twelve times that of copper. I was greatly 

 surprised that no one else has done this. These measurements are certainly 

 well worth doing. 



BOAG: We have not yet decided whether the electron does get back to the 

 parent ion or not. Today Dr. Magee has proposed a theory in which it usually 

 gets back, but yesterday Dr. Platzman suggested that such recapture is rare. 

 Must we leave this question unresolved for the present? 



MAGEE: Possibly so. However, I do not see how it is possible to explain 

 the chemical evidence on the basis of electrons getting away from their parent 

 ions. It seems to me it is just completely impossible. I would not say that I 



