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In preparation for the Birch reduction, I am trying to prepare an electride salt, $\ce{[Na(NH3)6]+, e-}.$ This salt should be brilliant blue, as far as I know, but I am getting a black sludge when adding sodium to the liquid anhydrous ammonia at −60 °C or so.

Is this because the salt is missing the electron? How do I remedy this?

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    $\begingroup$ electride salts are said to be blueish black at bulk and I beleive its solutions appear black if concentration is high enough. $\endgroup$
    – permeakra
    Commented Jun 4, 2014 at 7:26

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As long as your experimental setup did not contain any leakages or impurities through which air or moisture could have gotten into the mixture, the reaction should have worked fine under these conditions. The color of the hexaamminsodium electride solution is actually deep blue and intense, so at higher concentrations it can appear black at first sight (see picture below).

enter image description here

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  • $\begingroup$ Note the blue coloration in a thin section along the rim. $\endgroup$
    – Oscar Lanzi
    Commented Jul 20, 2022 at 14:00

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