Kenneth Lee Winn

US Patent:

42870356, Sep 1, 1981

Filed:

May 24, 1979

Appl. No.:

6/042163

Inventors:

John H. Clark - Los Alamos NM
Anthony J. Campillo - Los Alamos NM
Stanley L. Shapiro - Los Alamos NM
Kenneth R. Winn - Los Alamos NM

Assignee:

The United States of America as represented by the United States
Department of Energy - Washington DC

International Classification:

B01J 1912

US Classification:

2041571R

Abstract:

A method of initiating a rapid pH change in a solution by irradiating the solution with an intense flux of electromagnetic radiation of a frequency which produces a substantial pK change to a compound in solution. To optimize the resulting pH change, the compound being irradiated in solution should have an excited state lifetime substantially longer than the time required to establish an excited state acid-base equilibrium in the solution. Desired pH changes can be accomplished in nanoseconds or less by means of picosecond pulses of laser radiation.