Utilizing the charge-transfer-to-solvent transition of Na-, we measure the excited-state lifetime of the solvated electron (e(s)(-)) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) in each of three different well-defined local solvent environments: an isolated THF cavity, a THF cavity with a sodium atom located one solvent shell away, and a THF cavity with a sodium atom in the first solvent shell. We find that the excited-state lifetimes of the e(s)(-) in each environment are the same, suggesting that the solvent-induced non-adiabatic coupling that determines the radiationless transition rate is insensitive to the details of the specific atoms or molecules in the first solvent shell. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.