Charge Transfer in Solvated Anion Clusters

In the first two parts of this chapter, electron transfer (ET) from atomic donors, e.g., alkali metals or the iodine anion, to an accepting unit composed of simple molecular or atomic solvents was discussed. It was demonstrated that even for a molecule without a stable anionic state or large dipole moment, e.g., water and ammonia, an ensemble of a relatively small number of the molecules can act as an electron acceptor. In the case of the solvated alkali metal atom clusters, ET takes place spontaneously as the number of solvent molecules increases, while the ET in the solvated 1 clusters is induced by photoexcitation into the diffuse electronic excited states just below the vertical detachment thresholds. These ET processes in isolated supermolecular systems resemble the charge delocalization phenomena in condensed phases, e.g., excess-electron ejection from alkali metals into polar solvents and the charge transfer to solvent in a solution of stable anions. 

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