Multinuclear NMR study of the solvated electron in lithium-methylamine solutions

Abstract

We report a multinuclear NMR study of lithium-methylamine solutions. NMR Knight shift data for solvent (/sup 1/H, /sup 13/C, /sup 14/N) and metal (/sup 6/Li, /sup 7/Li) nuclei are reported for concentrations from 2 mol % lithium to saturation at ca 200 K. The NMR results have been used in conjunction with recent magnetic susceptibility measurements on the title system to provide a precise description of the unpaired-electron spin-density distribution in both the solvated electron, e/sub s//sup -/, and lithium monomer species, Li/sup +//sub s/e/sup -//sub s/. For both species, the vast majority of the unpaired-electron spin density resides in the nitrogen fragment of the solvent molecule. As with metal-ammonia solutions, we also find a small, negative spin density in the /sup 1/H is orbital. The occupancy of the /sup 6/Li and /sup 7/Li 2s orbital in the electron-cation aggregate species Li/sup +//sub s/e/sub s//sup -/ corresponds to approximately 0.5% of the lithium free-atom value for a 7 mol % metal solution. We conclude that the excess-electron species in lithium-methylamine solutions resides in a ground-state orbital which is composed of a simple 1s-like orbital for the electron within a solvent cavity in combination with a set of Rydberg-like orbitals derivedmore » from the 3s orbitals of the host solvent matrix.« less