Electron-Induced Hydration of an Alkene: Alternative Reaction Pathways†

Electron-induced reactions in condensed mixtures of ethylene and water lead to the synthesis of ethanol, as shown by post-irradiation thermal desorption spectrometry (TDS). Interestingly, this synthesis is not only induced by soft electron impact ionization similar to a previously observed electron-induced hydroamination but also, at low electron energy, by electron attachment to ethylene and a subsequent acid/base reaction with water.