Abstract. By means of the pulse radiolysis technique a short-lived transient species has been observed in irradiated de-aerated ethanol and methanol, exhibiting an optical absorption throughout the visible and near infra-red. This transient is suggested to be the solvated electron on the basis of the nature of the spectrum, the reactivity with hydrogen ion and with various organic electron acceptors, and the formation of mononegative ions of some of these acceptors. The absolute rate constants have been determined for the reactions of the solvated electron with hydrogen ion, oxygen and benzyl chloride in ethanol and methanol. The diphenylide ion was found to be short-lived in ethanol. The absolute rate constant for the first-order decay of the diphenylide ion has been determined.