The chemical nature of water treeing: theories and evidence

As a result of experimental and theoretical progress over the last decade, our understanding of water treeing is approaching the molecular level at which the fundamental chemical nature of the phenomenon will be revealed. Further effort is required to complete the picture. The analytical techniques employed to date indicate that the water tree region contains a wide range of chemical species, with various forms of carbonyl and metal ions and water being dominant. Among carbonyl species, carboxylate ions are dominant, followed by trace amounts of esters and ketones. Present oxidation theories of water treeing are based on these observations and provide the best and most detailed description of the process.<>