Abstract:
Even 0.02% water in acetonitrile can form clusters, the size and chemical reactivity of which can change under the influence of the Sun. Bulk water added to such acetonitrile can copy and reproduce these original clusters and acquire different hydrolytic activities depending on the size of the copied clusters. As a result, the rate of hydrolytic reactions with the added water can vary greatly depending on where the acetonitrile was located before the reaction – outdoors, inside buildings or underground. The influence of the Sun is accounted for by the decomposition of water clusters by muons, which are generated in the upper atmosphere by the solar wind. Due to the anisotropy of the muon flux the rate of hydrolysis depends on the geometry of the reaction solution, its position in space and constantly changes during the day depending on the position of the Sun in the sky.