Decay Kinetics of the Solvated Electron in Liquid Methylamine at 293 K

Abstract

The absorption spectrum-the short wavelength tail of a peak with λ max greater than 1100 nm-has been observed on pulse-irradiating liquid methylamine at 293 K. This is removed by an efficient electron scavenger, SF6, and by aromatic solutes with the formation of known absorptions due to the negative ions. Hence this absorption is attributed to $e_{{\rm sol}}^{-}$ in liquid methylamine. In liquid methylamine $e_{{\rm sol}}^{-}$ was found to decay by a first-order process with a rate constant equal to (6.1 ± 0.6) × $10^{5} {\rm sec}^{-1}$ at 293 K. In basic methylamine, a solution of sodium methylamide ( ${\rm CH}_{3}{\rm NHNa}$) in liquid methylamine, $e_{{\rm sol}}^{-}$ lived longer than in neutral liquid methylamine and the decay was second order. The rate constant of this process is (6.6 ± 0.13) × $10^{5} \epsilon _{1100} \text{liter}\cdot {\rm mole}^{-1} {\rm sec}^{-1}$.