Ultrafast Solvent Dynamics Drives the Formation of the Hydrated Electron in Photoexcited Water

The photophysics and photochemistry associated with irradiating UV light in liquid water is central to numerous physical, chemical and biological processes. One of the key events involved in this process is the generation of the hydrated electron. Despite long study from both experimental and theoretical fronts, a unified understanding of the underlying mechanisms associated with the generation of the solvated electron have remained elusive. Here, using excited-state molecular dynamics simulations of condensed phase photoexcited liquid water, we unravel the key sequence of chemical events leading to the creation of the hydrated electron on the excited state. The process begins through the excitation of electrons localized mostly on specific topological defects in water's hydrogen network which is subsequently followed by two main reaction pathways. The first, leads to the creation of a hydrogen atom culminating in non-radiative decay back to the ground-state within 100 femtoseconds. The second involves a proton coupled electron transfer, giving rise to the formation of the hydronium ion, hydroxyl radical and the hydrated excess electron on the excited-state. This process is facilitated by ultrafast coupled rotational and translational motions of water molecules leading to the formation of water mediated ion-radical pairs in the network. These species can survive on the picosecond timescale and ultimately modulate the emission of visible photons. All in all, our findings provide fresh perspectives into the interpretation of several independent time-dependent spectroscopies measured over the last decades, paving the way for new directions on both theoretical and experimental fronts.