Solution Phenomena in Liquid Ammonia

An extended discussion of solution phenomena in anhydrous liquid ammonia is presented. The solvent properties of ammonia for various classes of compounds is discussed in terms of its hydrogen bonding ability, moderate dielectric constant, elatively high basicity, and high dipole moment. In general, ammonia is a better solvent than water for covalent molecules, but a poor solvent for ionic species. Conductivity and spectral data is presented to support the contention that species in liquid ammonia undergo ion association, the aggregates being predominantly ion-separated ion-pairs in dilute solution. A brief discussion of the chemical properties of metal—ammonia solutions is presented. Electrochemical behavior as exemplified by static potential measurements and polarographic techniques is discussed. A detailed discussion of acid-base phenomena including proton transfer reactions and complexation reactions is presented with a summary and discussion of the quantitative data available for these systems.