An Apparatus for the Determination of Rates of Proton Transfer and Other Very Fast Reactions

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Abstract
An apparatus designed to study the kinetics of very fast reactions, such as proton transfer, using an electric field jump (E-jump) relaxation technique is described. A 10-kV square wave pulse with a pulse duration of 3 μsec is used as the perturbing force. The increase in degree of dissociation of a dilute solution of a weak electrolyte can be followed directly upon application of the pulse. Secondary effects are canceled out by means of a suitable difference method in which the difference in signals is analyzed by a differential amplifier and displayed as an oscilloscope trace. Relaxation times on the order of 10-7 sec, yielding second-order rate constants of 1010 liter mole-1 sec-1, can be investigated by this method.