Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.107, No.14, 2411-2421, 2003
Picosecond time-resolved resonance Raman study of the solvated electron in water
Picosecond time-resolved Raman spectra of water were measured under the resonance condition with the electronic transition of the solvated electron. Transient Raman bands were observed in the OH bend and the OH stretch regions in accordance with the generation of the solvated electron. The lifetimes of the transient Raman bands were shortened by the addition of the electron scavenger, in exactly the same manner as the solvated electron absorption. It was concluded that the observed transient Raman bands are attributed to the water molecules that directly interact with the electron in the first solvation shell. The resonance enhancement factors were estimated as high as similar to10(5) (the OH bend) and similar to10(3) (the OH stretch) when the probe wavelength was tuned to the absorption maximum of the s --> p transition of the solvated electron. The observed very high resonance enhancement indicated that the vibrational state of the solvating water molecules is strongly coupled with the electronic state of the electron. This implied that we should consider the electron and the solvating water molecules together (as a "quasi-molecule") when we discuss the vibronic state of the local solvation structure. The probe wavelength dependence of the transient Raman intensity was examined in a wide range from 410 to 800 nm. The obtained excitation profiles suggested that the s --> conduction transition does not significantly contribute to the resonance Raman enhancement. The polarized Raman measurement was also undertaken for the OH bend band. A nonzero depolarization ratio was observed, which showed that the nondegeneracy of the three sublevels in the excited p state can be observed on the time scale of the Raiman process. The OH bending and OH stretching frequencies of the solvating water molecule are downshifted compared with the frequencies of the bulk water, indicating that a structural change is induced by the strong interaction with the electron.