Electron-transfer mechanisms

Electron transfer reactions can be described from two different points of view—the classical and the quantum mechanical. Several reviews and publications cover these topics exhaustively [14—18], Among them, the book by Ulstrup [19] and the excellent review by Weiss et al. [20] constitute real milestones. 

From the quantum mechanical perspective, both photoinduced charge separation and charge recombination are radiationless transitions between different, 

When donor-acceptor pairs lack interactions with an intervening medium, e.g. solvent molecules, the electron transfer mechanism is supposed to occur through space. Considering that the electron density of molecular orbitals falls off exponentially, a similar postulate may be formulated for the electronic coupling between donor and acceptor, fljfg 

Assuming that FCWDel is distance independent, the electron-transfer rate constants are also expected to decay exponentially as a function of distance 1 

rDA is the donor-acceptor distance, H% 0) is the interaction at constant distance r0, and [1 is the so-called attenuation factor. In vacuum, values of [1 are relatively large in the range of 2-5 A-1 [21]. Consequently, at donor-acceptor distances commonly found in molecular dyads, the through space couplings will be negligible. 

Indirect EET involves the use of so-called electron shuttles which physically transfer electrons from the cell to the electrode [80]. Commonly applied mediators include humic substances such as anthraquinone 2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) [104]. Furthermore, Thrash and Coates reviewed the electron shuttles used in BESs, and reported that the addition of a chemical shuttle can be expensive, toxic, and prone to wash-out of the system [81]. In addition to artificial redox mediators, some microorganisms are able to produce their own mediators such as secondary metabolites like phenazines [46, 92] and flavins [77]. Finally, primary metabolites such as sulfur species [105] and hydrogen gas [106] are also able to convey electrons toward electrodes. 

Overall, mediators are able to enhance the electrical interconnectivity between electrochemically active microorganisms and the electrode, and hence increase the active range of the electrode beyond the biofilm into the bulk liquid. Nevertheless, care should be taken when applying them artificially. 

SCHEME 14.5 Possible transformations of toluene radical cation. 

FT mechanisms coupled with addition of nucleophiles operate, for example, in acetoxylation of aromatic compounds with the well-known FT agent, K S Og, in acetic acid [36] or aerobic Cu-catalyzed orf/io-acetoxylation of aryl C—H bonds [39]. 

Radical cations can also disproportionate (Eq. 14.12) [35a, 37] or undergo fast one-electron oxidation to dications that easily add nucleophiles to give oxygenated products (Eq. 14.13) [37,40]. 

SCHEME 14.6 Oxidation of anthracene via electron transfer-nucleophilic addition. 2ArH + ArH2+ + ArH H 

SCHEME 14.7 Anthracene oxidation via electron transfer-oxygenation mechanism (Elaborated from Ref. [38]). 

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The equation does not take into account such pertubation factors as steric effects, solvent effects, and ion-pair formation. These factors, however, may be neglected when experiments are carried out in the same solvent at the same temperature and concentration for an homogeneous set of substrates. So, for a given ambident nucleophile the rate ratio kj/kj will depend on A and B, which vary with (a) the attacked electrophilic center, (b) the solvent, and (c) the counterpart cationic species of the anion. The important point in this kind of study is to change only one parameter at a time. This simple rule has not always been followed, and little systematic work has been done in this field (12) stiH widely open after the discovery of the role played by single electron transfer mechanism in ambident reactivity (1689). 

Iron(II) ediylenediaminetetraacetic acid [15651 -72-6] Fe(EDTA) or A/,Ar-l,2-ethaiiediylbis[A[-(carboxymethyl)glyciQato]ferrate(2—), is a colorless, air-sensitive anion. It is a good reducing agent, having E° = —0.1171, and has been used as a probe of outer sphere electron-transfer mechanisms. It can be prepared by addition of an equivalent amount of the disodium salt, Na2H2EDTA, to a solution of iron(II) in hydrochloric acid. Diammonium [56174-59-5] and disodium [14729-89-6] salts of Fe(EDTA) 2— are known. 

The pale blue tris(2,2 -bipyridine)iron(3+) ion [18661-69-3] [Fe(bipy)2], can be obtained by oxidation of [Fe(bipy)2]. It cannot be prepared directiy from iron(III) salts. Addition of 2,2 -bipyridine to aqueous iron(III) chloride solutions precipitates the doubly hydroxy-bridged species [(bipy)2Fe(. t-OH)2Fe(bipy)2]Cl4 [74930-87-3]. [Fe(bipy)2] has an absorption maximum at 610 nm, an absorptivity of 330 (Mem), and a formation constant of 10. In mildly acidic to alkaline aqueous solutions the ion is reduced to the iron(II) complex. [Fe(bipy)2] is frequentiy used in studies of electron-transfer mechanisms. The triperchlorate salt [15388-50-8] is isolated most commonly. 

Decomposition of diphenoylperoxide [6109-04-2] (40) in the presence of a fluorescer such as perylene in methylene chloride at 24°C produces chemiluminescence matching the fluorescence spectmm of the fluorescer with perylene was reported to be 10 5% (135). The reaction follows pseudo-first-order kinetics with the observed rate constant increasing with fluorescer concentration according to = k [flr]. Thus the fluorescer acts as a catalyst for peroxide decomposition, with catalytic decomposition competing with spontaneous thermal decomposition. An electron-transfer mechanism has been proposed (135). 

Mechanistic studies on the formation of PPS from polymerization of copper(I) 4-bromobenzenethiolate in quinoline under inert atmosphere at 200°C have been pubUshed (91). PPS synthesized by this synthetic procedure is characterized by high molar mass at low conversions and esr signals consistent with a single-electron-transfer mechanism, the Sj l-type mechanism described earlier (22). 

According to the electron-transfer mechanism of spectral sensitization (92,93), the transfer of an electron from the excited sensitizer molecule to the silver haHde and the injection of photoelectrons into the conduction band ate the primary processes. Thus, the lowest vacant level of the sensitizer dye is situated higher than the bottom of the conduction band. The regeneration of the sensitizer is possible by reactions of the positive hole to form radical dications (94). If the highest filled level of the dye is situated below the top of the valence band, desensitization occurs because of hole production. 

The area of photoinduced electron transfer in LB films has been estabUshed (75). The abiUty to place electron donor and electron acceptor moieties in precise distances allowed the detailed studies of electron-transfer mechanism and provided experimental support for theories (76). This research has been driven by the goal of understanding the elemental processes of photosynthesis. Electron transfer is, however, an elementary process in appHcations such as photoconductivity (77—79), molecular rectification (79—84), etc. 

Recently, the reaction of 3-methoxy-5-aryl-l,2,4-oxadiazoles in the presence of diphenylacetylene to give the corresponding quinazolinones has been reinvestigated and an electron transfer mechanism was proposed (99JOC7028). 

The initiating radicals are assumed to be SCN, ONO or N3 free radicals. Tris oxalate-ferrate-amine anion salt complexes have been studied as photoinitiators (A = 436 nm) of acrylamide polymer [48]. In this initiating system it is proposed that the CO2 radical anion found in the primary photolytic process reacts with iodonium salt (usually diphenyl iodonium chloride salt) by an electron transfer mechanism to give photoactive initiating phenyl radicals by the following reaction machanism ... 

Meanwhile, it was found by Asai and colleagues [48] that tetraphenylphosphonium salts having such anions as Cl, Br , and Bp4 work as photoinitiators for radical polymerization. Based on the initiation effects of changing counteranions, they proposed that a one-electron transfer mechanism is reasonable in these initiation reactions. However, in the case of tetraphenylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate, it cannot be ruled out that direct homolysis of the p-phenyl bond gives the phenyl radical as the initiating species since BF4 is not an easily pho-tooxidizable anion [49]. Therefore, it was assumed that a similar photoexcitable moiety exists in both tetraphenyl phosphonium salts and triphenylphosphonium ylide, which can be written as the following resonance hybrid [17] (Scheme 21) ... 

The salts of alkyl xanthates, A/,A/ -di-substituted dithio-carbamates and dialkyidithiophosphates [26] are effective peroxide decomposers. Since no active hydrogen is present in these compounds, an electron-transfer mechanism was suggested. The peroxide radical is capable of abstracting an electron from the electron-rich sulfur atom and is converted into a peroxy anion as illustrated below for zinc dialkyl dithiocarbamate [27] ... 

Cobalt trifluoride fluorination corresponds to the electron-transfer mechanism via a radical cation. RF groups attached to the ring enhance the stability of intermediate dienes and monoenes. Perfluoroalkyl pyridines, pyrazines, and pyrimidines were successfully fluorinated but pyridazines eliminated nitrogen. The lack of certain dienes was attributed to the difference in stability of FC=C and RFC=C and steric effects [81JCS(P1)2059]. 

Fig. 10-1. Electron transfer mechanism for a chain process of iodo-de-diazoniation in the solid state (after Gougoutas, 1979).

Electron transfer mechanism Butler-Volmer kinetics and, 587 in electronically conducting polymers, 568... 

Mercuration of aromatic compounds can be accomplished with mercuric salts, most often Hg(OAc)2 ° to give ArHgOAc. This is ordinary electrophilic aromatic substitution and takes place by the arenium ion mechanism (p. 675). ° Aromatic compounds can also be converted to arylthallium bis(trifluoroacetates), ArTl(OOCCF3)2, by treatment with thallium(III) trifluoroacetate in trifluoroace-tic acid. ° These arylthallium compounds can be converted to phenols, aryl iodides or fluorides (12-28), aryl cyanides (12-31), aryl nitro compounds, or aryl esters (12-30). The mechanism of thallation appears to be complex, with electrophilic and electron-transfer mechanisms both taking place. 

The sequential electron-proton-electron transfer mechanism is in agreement with the experimental observation by Ohno et al. [141]. The mechanism was confirmed by Selvaraju and Ramamurthy [142] from photophysical and photochemical study of a NADH model compound, 1,8-acridinedione dyes in micelles. 

Tl(III) < Pb(IV), and this conclusion has been confirmed recently with reference to the oxythallation of olefins 124) and the cleavage of cyclopropanes 127). It is also predictable that oxidations of unsaturated systems by Tl(III) will exhibit characteristics commonly associated with analogous oxidations by Hg(II) and Pb(IV). There is, however, one important difference between Pb(IV) and Tl(III) redox reactions, namely that in the latter case reduction of the metal ion is believed to proceed only by a direct two-electron transfer mechanism (70). Thallium(II) has been detected by y-irradiation 10), pulse radiolysis 17, 107), and flash photolysis 144a) studies, butis completely unstable with respect to Tl(III) and T1(I) the rate constant for the process 2T1(II) Tl(III) + T1(I), 2.3 x 10 liter mole sec , is in fact close to diffusion control of the reaction 17). 

Fe(CN)g was noted and the kinetics were further complicated by specific ionpairing effects. However, an electron transfer mechanism is plausible and the rate coefficients with different oxidants agreed reasonably well (correlation coefficient 0.966) with those calculated from... 

Bamford et have also determined l<2 for the reduction of ferric chloride in dimethylformamide by different R-, viz. and regard their results as evidence for an electron-transfer mechanism... 

The electron transfer mechanism for antioxidant activity corresponding to eq. 16.5 makes the standard reduction potentials of interest for evaluation of antioxidative activity. The standard reduction potential of the phenoxyl radical of several flavonoids has been determined and forms the basis for correlation of rate of electron transfer for various oxidants from the flavonoid (Jovanovic etal., 1997 Jorgensen and Skibsted, 1998). The standard reduction potentials have also been used to establish antioxidant hierarchies. 

The advantage of employing periodic perturbation of light intensity, e.g., using a chopper, and phase-sensitive detection are beyond a simple enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio. For photoinduced electron-transfer mechanisms, as schematized in Fig. 11, the... 

It has been proposed that there may be a single electron transfer mechanism for the Mukaiyama reaction under certain conditions.72 For example, photolysis of benzaldehyde dimethylacetal and 1-trimethylsilyloxycyclohexene in the presence of a... 

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