Electrons in Condensed Media

Abstract The effects of changes of temperature and pressure and of illumination on the shape and position of the absorption spectrum and ESR saturation curve of electrons trapped in rigid or viscous liquid matrices are described. Data are presented to show that the Arrhenius equation does not adequately describe the influence of temperature on the rates of diffusion‐controlled reactions of the solvated electrons in glassforming liquids, and that pulse‐radiolysis studies of these systems allow a rigorous test of theories of these reactions and in particular demonstrate the reality of the predicted phenomenon of time dependant rate constants. The conclusions drawn from this information are: 1) the wide structureless optical spectrum of es− and et− is partly due to a distribution of electrons in holes of different configurations; 2) that the trapping of electrons is facilitated by the pre‐existence in the medium of “voids” but that reorganisation of some cavities occurs after electron capture; 3) an increase of temperature by increasing the possibility of rotational motion of molecules in the walls of the cavity facilitates both the relaxation of traps and the release of electrons from them and also increases the probability of retrapping a mobile electron; 4) over a large temperature range log k = A ‐ B/(T ‐ T0) where T0 is the temperature below which rotation sufficient to permit translation of molecules is impossible and B is inversely proportional to the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid; 5) that quantum mechanical tunnelling of solvated electrons occurs and is the major factor influencing the rate of reaction of er− at temperatures in the vicinity of T0 and 6) that absorption of light causes mobilisation of et− and hence photo conductivity and use of light of different wavelengths enables perturbation of the trap distribution.