By using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, decay of optically excited states of hydrated Au mass-selected in the gas phase was studied. It is suggested that the pump-photon can induce injection of an electron from auride chromophore to the water solvent. The cluster with three water molecules (Au (H2O)(3)) showed a long-living excited state with a lifetime of similar to 19 +/- 3 ps, whereas that of Au similar to( H2O)(2) is only similar to 3 +/- 1 ps. The fate of an optically excited state of an ionic species can be significantly changed by the number of water (solvent) molecules attached. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.