SOLVATED ELECTRONS - ELECTRON-PARAMAGNETIC STUDIES OF SOLUTIONS OF LITHIUM IN ETHYLAMINE

Lithium metal dissolves in ethylamine to give stable blue solutions th e EPR spectra of which showed the presence of a singlet assigned to so lvated electrons, together with a nine-line spectrum assigned to Li-so lv(+)-e(solv)(-) ion pairs. The hyperfine splitting of ca. 2.5 G is as signed to four equivalent N-14 nuclei. There is no detectable coupling to lithium nuclei. In the region of 50%, diglyme there is extensive d isplacement of two of the four amine ligands. Thus, in addition to the solvated electron centres, two ion pairs were detected, one showing h yperfine coupling to four N-14 nuclei and one to two N-14 nuclei. The hyperfine splitting remained constant at ca. 2.5 G. This result strong ly supports a model in which it is the lithium ligands that give rise to coupling in the ion pairs, The diglyme displaces two amines at a ti me. There was no increase in the singlet, so the displacement of the s econd pair of amine ligands is not favourable.