Identification of radical structures on 1‐pentamethylbenzyl‐3‐ethylimidazoliumsilver(I)bromide and 1,3‐bis(pentamethylbenzyl)‐4,5‐dimethylbenzimidazoliumsilver(I)bromide exposed to gamma rays: an EPR study

: 1-Pentamethylbenzyl-3-ethylimidazoliumsilver(I)bromide and 1,3-bis(pentamethylbenzyl)-4,5dimethylbenzimidazoliumsilver(I)bromide and their Ag+ complexes were synthesized and their polycrystal forms were produced by recrystallization in dichloromethane/Et2 O solvent system. Structural determinations were carried out by 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR with a Varian 400 NMR system using tetramethylsilane as internal standard and CDCl3 as solvent. The disappearance of acidic N-heterocyclic carbene proton showed the formation of Ag(I) complexes. Also, elemental analyses were carried out. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements were performed to determine the formed radical structure on the samples irradiated at the room temperature for 72 h by using 60 Co-source with dose rate of 0.680 kGy. The EPR measurements were carried out in the temperature range of 200 K-450 K. Identical radicals were determined on the irradiated compounds. It was observed that the shapes of the spectra of the samples were independent of the temperature but, the resonance line intensities changed linearly with the temperature. Also, it was detected that the free radical on the 1-pentamethylbenzyl-3-ethylimidazoliumsilver(I)bromide is not stable compared to that on the 1,3-bis(pentamethylbenzyl)-4,5dimethylbenzimidazoliumsilver(I)bromide. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.