Liquid Ammonia Solutions VIII. Spectra of Alkali Metal Amide Solutions

Abstract

Abstract Recently, the spectral characteristics of liquid ammonia solutions containing potassium amide were reported.1 position and intensity of the band associated with these solu- tions is temperature dependent, and it was suggested that the absorption arises from a charge-transfer-to-solvent (ctts) process. Since the amide ion is the strongest base (lyate ion) that can exist in liquid ammonia, its spectral characteristics are especially important in the study of acid-base equilibria involving very weak acids in that solvent; the point of equilibrium in such a system can be moved to a convenient position by the addition of NH2 − (Equation 1). This technique has been used in an analogous situation with cyclohexylamide anion in cyclohexylamine as solvent.2