Dust and coma radicals in C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos): evolution of the activity

We present multi-epoch R-band imaging and long-slit spectroscopy of the dynamically new comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) during its pre-perihelion phase, spanning heliocentric distances from 4.5 to 2.3 au. The most prominent fluorescence emissions in the visible wavelength range are detected. We measure production rates of CN, C 2, and C 3, while no significant NH 2 signal is identified. In our dataset, CN became detectable at 3.48 au, and C 3 and C 2 at 2.80 au. The mean ratios C 2/CN = 0.00 plus or minus 0.07 and C 3/CN = -1.03 plus or minus 0.09 place the comet in an intermediate taxonomic regime between typical and carbon-depleted populations. Dust production rates, ejection velocities, and particle size distributions are constrained using a Monte Carlo dust tail model that reproduces the observed coma morphology. The dust population is characterized by a power-law size distribution with an exponent of about-3.5, and particle sizes ranging from 1 mu m to 4 mm. The inferred initial ejection velocities span from about 20 m s-1 to about 100 m s-1. We use the empirical relation between CN and OH to estimate the water production rate and derive the dust-to-gas mass ratio for heliocentric distances r 3 au, where water sublimation is expected to dominate the activity regime. The dust-to-gas mass ratio remains consistently above unity, ranging from about 1 to 3 depending on the choice of scale lengths and the CN--OH conversion factor. This result characterizes C/2024 E1 as a ``dust-rich'' comet, where the mass loss is dominated by the refractory component rather than volatiles.