Spectrum and Reactivity of the Solvated Electron in the Ionic Liquid Methyltributylammonium Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide

Fast pulse radiolysis transient absorption experiments were conducted on the ionic liquid methyltributylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (R 4 NNTf 2 ). The solvated electron was observed to have a very broad absorption band peaking around 1410 nm (ε = 2.2 × 10 4 L mol -1 cm -1 ) and a radiolytic yield ( G ) of 0.7 × 10 -7 mol J -1 . Dry electron capture by aromatic solutes, such as benzophenone and pyrene, is very efficient in R 4 NNTf 2 . Reactions of the solvated electron with the same compounds are diffusion limited, with rate constants of only k ≈ (1−2) × 10 8 L mol -1 s -1 due to the high viscosity of the ionic liquid.