From hot atom chemistry to epithermal chemistry

Abstract

The rise and fall of hot atom chemistry (HAC) over the years from 1934 to 2004 is reviewed. Several applications are discussed, in particular to astrophysics and the interaction of energetic ions and atoms in space. Epithermal chemistry (ETC) is proposed to substitute the old name, since it better fits the energy range as well as the non-thermal and non-equilibrium character of the reactions. ETC also avoids the strong connexion of HAC to nuclear chemistry and stands for the opening of the field to physical chemistry and astrophysics.

27 Radiochemistry and radiopharmaceuticals

“…The field has been reviewed 295 and a name-change to 'epithermal chemistry' proposed, but traditional experiments, such as the neutron irradiation of magnesium iodate followed by annealing, 296 continue to be carried out. A hot-atom reaction is also clearly involved in the direct encapsulation of a recoil atom by a fullerene 47,48 and it is also possible that the iodine exchange reaction used to label iodophenylpentadecanoic acid 181 proceeds via a hot-atom, more likely a hot-ion, reaction.…”