6. Rehybridization of the Acceptor (RICT) 3908 7. Planarization of the Molecule (PICT) 3909 III. Fluorescence Spectroscopy 3909 A. Solvent Effects and the Model Compounds 3909 1. Solvent Effects on the Spectra 3909 2. Steric Effects and Model Compounds 3911 3. Bandwidths 3913 4. Isoemissive Points 3914 B. Dipole Moments 3915 C. Radiative Rates and Transition Moments 3916 1. Quantum Yields and Radiationless Deactivation Processes 3916

Structural Changes Accompanying Intramolecular Electron Transfer: Focus on Twisted Intramolecular Charge-Transfer States and Structures

▪ Abstract Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is an important mechanism for charge transfer in a wide variety of systems including biology- and materials-oriented venues. We review several are...

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Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer

This is an overview of some of the important, challenging, and problematic issues in contemporary electron transfer research. After a qualitative discussion of electron transfer, its time and distance scales, energy curves, and basic parabolic energy models are introduced to define the electron transfer process. Application of transition state theory leads to the standard Marcus formulation of electron transfer rate constants. Electron transfer in solution is coupled to solvent polarization effects, and relaxation processes can contribute to and even control electron transfer. The inverted region, in which electron transfer rate constants decrease with increasing exoergicity, is one of the most striking phenomena in electron transfer chemistry. It is predicted by both semiclassical and quantum mechanical models, with the latter appropriate if there are coupled high- or medium-frequency vibrations. The intramolecular reorganizational energy has different contributions from different vibrational modes, whic...

Contemporary Issues in Electron Transfer Research

The goal of artificial photosynthesis is to use the energy of the sun to make high-energy chemicals for energy production. One approach, described here, is to use light absorption and excited-state electron transfer to create oxidative and reductive equivalents for driving relevant fuel-forming half-reactions such as the oxidation of water to O2 and its reduction to H2. In this "integrated modular assembly" approach, separate components for light absorption, energy transfer, and long-range electron transfer by use of free-energy gradients are integrated with oxidative and reductive catalysts into single molecular assemblies or on separate electrodes in photelectrochemical cells. Derivatized porphyrins and metalloporphyrins and metal polypyridyl complexes have been most commonly used in these assemblies, with the latter the focus of the current account. The underlying physical principles--light absorption, energy transfer, radiative and nonradiative excited-state decay, electron transfer, proton-coupled electron transfer, and catalysis--are outlined with an eye toward their roles in molecular assemblies for energy conversion. Synthetic approaches based on sequential covalent bond formation, derivatization of preformed polymers, and stepwise polypeptide synthesis have been used to prepare molecular assemblies. A higher level hierarchial "assembly of assemblies" strategy is required for a working device, and progress has been made for metal polypyridyl complex assemblies based on sol-gels, electropolymerized thin films, and chemical adsorption to thin films of metal oxide nanoparticles.

Chemical approaches to artificial photosynthesis. 2.

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The localized-to-delocalized transition in mixed-valence chemistry.

This paper reinvestigates the use of transient fluorescence spectroscopy of polar aromatics in solution as a method to determine microscopic solvation dynamics. It is shown that the compounds previously employed as polar fluorescent probes tend to fall into three photophysical classes depending upon: (i) whether the photon induced change in μ occurs simultaneously with photon absorption (ii) whether solvent motion subsequent to photon absorption is required to induce the change in μ; or (iii) whether two excited‐state isomers with different μ’s are present simultaneously. The consequence of the different classes on microscopic solvation dynamic measurements is discussed with a molecular example for each class: (i) 4‐aminophthalimide, (ii) 4‐(9‐anthryl)‐N, N‐dimethylaniline, and (iii) bianthryl, respectively. In addition, we introduce a new transient fluorescence procedure for the determination of solvation dynamics that has advantages over the traditional transient Stokes‐shift method. Finally, for the fi...

Time-resolved spectroscopic measurements on microscopic solvation dynamics

The transient solvation of a polar fluorescent probe has been studied by the time resolved Stokes shift technique with roughly five times shorter time resolution than previously reported. New shorter time components in the solvation relaxation function C(t) have been discovered for methanol, propionitrile, and propylene carbonate; the C(t) function for acetonitrile is singly exponential within the limitations of the instrument. The observed C(t) has been compared to theoretical calculations using the dielectric continuum (DC) model for each solvent, with non‐Debye expressions for the solvent dielectric response. For methanol the DC model predictions agree closely with experiment. For the polar aprotic solvents propylene carbonate and propionitrile, the shape of the experimental decay is different from the DC predictions, but the average decay times 〈τs〉 are closer to the DC predictions than previously reported. The comparison of theory and experiment is clearly limited by the inconsistencies and limited f...

Femtosecond resolved solvation dynamics in polar solvents

A photodynamical model for the excited state electron transfer of bianthryl and related molecules

Subpicosecond fluorescence spectroscopy of the polar dye molecules coumarin 311 and coumarin 102 has been used to measure the microscopic solvation dynamics of several polar aprotic solvents. The measured solvation times are significantly longer than the longitudinal relaxation times τ1 of the solvents. τ1 is the predicted time for solvation according to dielectric continuum theory. The experiments were made with a newly constructed subpicosecond ultraviolet emission apparatus that takes advantage of recent advances in ultrafast laser technology. The newly developed, time saving procedure [Nagarajan et al., J. Chem. Phys. 86, 3183 (1987)] for measuring the microscopic solvation response functions was used in this research.

Tai Jong Kang

Papers

Time-resolved spectroscopic measurements on microscopic solvation dynamics

Femtosecond resolved solvation dynamics in polar solvents

A photodynamical model for the excited state electron transfer of bianthryl and related molecules

Transient solvation of polar dye molecules in polar aprotic solvents

Electron-transfer times are not equal to longitudinal relaxation times in polar aprotic solvents