Short-Lived Quantum Entanglement of Protons and Dissociation of C-H Bonds in Condensed Matter -- a New Effect

In earlier neutron Compton scattering (NCS) experiments on H₂O/D₂O mixtures at T ≈ 298 K we observed, for the first time, a striking "anomalous" decrease of the ratio σ_H/σ_D of the total scattering cross sections of H and D. This "anomaly" was found to depend strongly on the H/D composition of the liquid. Extending recent NCS results obtained from solid polystyrene, we present here new results concerning the quantum dynamics and dissociation of C-H bonds (at T ≈ 298 K) in: (a) liquid benzene and C₆H₆/C₆D₆ mixtures; (b) fully protonated and partially deuterated polystyrene; and (c) liquid mixtures of H-acetone (CH₃COCH₃) and D-acetone (CD₃COCD₃). The considered NCS effect was given a theoretical explanation based on short-lived protonic quantum entanglement (QE) and decoherence. The variety of the new results suggests that, in the short-time scale of the NCS experiment, protonic quantum dynamics is strongly correlated with that of electronic degrees of freedom participating in the various chemical bonds.