Hydrated electron: the alchemist stone of the water treatment

For many years, humankind's development initiated unreversible pollution of the Earth. Compounds, which contributed significantly to this problem, are perfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS), for which there is still no effective way of their reduction (the problem relies on the most persistent organic C-F bonds governing their structure). Aiming to find a way to remove this and other persistent pollutants from water, I propose to explore the strongest reducing agent known – hydrated electron (eaq−). However, due to several research problems, there is still difficulty in utilizing eaq− for water treatment processes. In the project, I propose a unique methodology based on theoretical and experimental approaches that can enable the application of hydrated electrons to "forever chemicals". The promising preliminary results have confirmed that applying supramolecular approaches can increase the efficiency of eaq− generation by sensitizers. The difficulty of observation of such reactive species as well as the need for an interdisciplinary approach can be two reasons why the hydrated electron remains underexplored, and the applicant has a set of unique skills which can deepen the fundamental understanding of this topic. The primary implications of the successful finalization of the HYDROCHEMIST are related not only to the water treatment sector but also to other branches of science where a well-controlled eaq− would be of value, for example, in organic chemistry or hydrogen fuel production from water.