Electron spin echo modulation study of the geometry of solvated electrons in ethanol glass: An example of a molecular dipole oriented solvation shell

Abstract

The analysis of the electron spin echo modulation patterns of solvated electrons in variously deuterated ethanol glasses shows that four ethanol molecules constitute the first solvation shell of the solvated electron with average distances of 2.2 Å to the OH protons, 3.3 Å to the CH2 protons, and 3.8 Å to the CH3 protons. These distances show that the OH bond of ethanol cannot be oriented towards the solvated electron. Instead the electron must be located along a line which approximately bisects the COH bond angle. This is the same direction as the molecular dipole orientation in ethanol and demonstrates that the solvated electron in ethanol has a molecular dipole oriented solvation shell in contrast to the OH bond oriented solvaton shell for the solvated electron in aqueous systems.