Liquid Electrons - Periodic Table of Videos
Why Chemistry Stack Exchange recommends it
Chemistry Stack Exchange users link it as the standard visual demonstration of solvated electrons and metallic-looking sodium-ammonia solutions.
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2016 to 2017.
What it is
A Periodic Table of Videos clip in which Dr Rob Stockman of the University of Nottingham dissolves sodium in liquid ammonia to show solvated electrons. At high concentration the solution separates into a shiny, bronze, metallic-looking layer. It is filmed by Brady Haran for the Periodic Videos channel.
What people said
Recommends matt_black · 2016-05 · Chemistry Stack Exchange · on “Do there exist metals that are composed of molecules?”
Sort of, if you define metals as substances that exhibit some metallic behaviour Metallic elements are, well, the metals. But other substances can exhibit many of the properties of those metals. One well-known example if what you get when you dissolve a lot of sodium in liquid ammonia. Beyond a certain concentration, a new metallic-like phase if formed where electrons are solvated in the liquid (which contains ammonia molecules). The bronze, metallic colour of this phase is seen in this Periodic Video [this video] . Many metallic properties are dependent on the delocalisation of electrons. Some conjugated polymers can have delocalised electrons and metallic levels of conductivity when doped. Whet
Cites xyz123 · 2016-11 · Chemistry Stack Exchange · on “Is it possible create crystalline solvate of electrons?”
Okay, I know that this reads ridiculous insane, but one can obtain solvated electrons by adding sodium metal to liquid ammonia solution. The chemical reaction as written in my inorganic chemistry textbook is this: $$\ce{Na + x NH3 -> Na+ + e(NH3)_x-}$$ A metallic sheen is observed, and it supposed to have an absorption band at about $1500\ \mathrm{nm}$ that expands into the range of visible light corresponding to the solvated electrons. These electrons can be react with alkynes as very powerful reducing agents to to remove an H from a C joined by a triple bond, also liberating hydrogen gas as such. This occurs in the solution made by an alkali metal, not from pure extracted electrons $$\ce{R
Cites uhoh · 2017-04 · Chemistry Stack Exchange · on “What is happening in this video of solvated electrons donated from sodium in ammonia?”
I just saw the Periodic Video Liquid Electrons - Periodic Table of Videos [this video] where sodium is added to liquid ammonia. The demonstration shows that even if electrons are solvated, if you have a high enough electron density, the substance will turn shiny and reflective and metallic. Sodium is dissolved in liquid ammonia and donates the electrons to the solution. There are a number of things happening in the demonstration that I don't understand. There is supposed to be a separation - once a high enough electron density is reached, the solution is supposed to separate into a high electron density and low electron density layer. Why the separation instead of a uniform concentration? And why
Cites uhoh · 2017-07 · Chemistry Stack Exchange · on “How to think of solvated electrons?”
This excellent answer [LINK] explains at length what's happening in this fascinating video entitled Liquid Electrons - Periodic Table of Videos [this video] . In the screenshot below, the metallic-looking solvated electron layer (middle) has a bronze color. I am trying to understand what "solvated electron" even means. Is the way that these electrons move around in solution more like a solvated ion, or proton in an acidic aqueous solution, or more like the conduction electrons in a typical liquid metal we might see in a laboratory, such as mercury or gallium? Or are both of those completely inadequate analogies? I chose proton as the lightest thing I could think of that could be roughly thought o