Electron transfer processes steps

PET in three-component systems (triads) is illustrated in Figure 5. The functioning principles are shown in the orbital-type energy diagrams in the lower part of the figure. In both cases, excitation of a chromophoric component (step 1) is followed by a primary PET to a primary acceptor (step 2). This process is followed by a secondary thermal electron transfer process (step 3), that is, electron transfer from a donor component to the oxidized... 

One apparent discrepancy between the spectroscopic data and the crystal structure is that no spectroscopic signal has been measured for participation of the accessory chlorophyll molecule Ba in the electron transfer process. However, as seen in Figure 12.15, this chlorophyll molecule is between the special pair and the pheophytin molecule and provides an obvious link for electron transfer in two steps from the special pair through Ba to the pheophytin. This discrepancy has prompted recent, very rapid measurements of the electron transfer steps, still without any signal from Ba- This means either... 

Most of the free-radical mechanisms discussed thus far have involved some combination of homolytic bond dissociation, atom abstraction, and addition steps. In this section, we will discuss reactions that include discrete electron-transfer steps. Addition to or removal of one electron fi om a diamagnetic organic molecule generates a radical. Organic reactions that involve electron-transfer steps are often mediated by transition-metal ions. Many transition-metal ions have two or more relatively stable oxidation states differing by one electron. Transition-metal ions therefore firequently participate in electron-transfer processes. 

In deriving the kinetics of activation-energy controlled charge transfer it was emphasised that a simple one-step electron-transfer process would be considered to eliminate the complications that arise in multistep reactions. The h.e.r. in acid solutions can be represented by the overall equation ... 

In Section 1.4 it was assumed that the rate equation for the h.e.r. involved a parameter, namely the transfer coefficient a, which was taken as approximately 0-5. However, in the previous consideration of the rate of a simple one-step electron-transfer process the concept of the symmetry factor /3 was introduced, and was used in place of a, and it was assumed that the energy barrier was almost symmetrical and that /3 0-5. Since this may lead to some confusion, an attempt will be made to clarify the situation, although an adequate treatment of this complex aspect of electrode kinetics is clearly impossible in a book of this nature and the reader is recommended to study the comprehensive work by Bockris and Reddy. ... 

Many anodic oxidations involve an ECE pathway. For example, the neurotransmitter epinephrine can be oxidized to its quinone, which proceeds via cyclization to leukoadrenochrome. The latter can rapidly undergo electron transfer to form adrenochrome (5). The electrochemical oxidation of aniline is another classical example of an ECE pathway (6). The cation radical thus formed rapidly undergoes a dimerization reaction to yield an easily oxidized p-aminodiphenylamine product. Another example (of industrial relevance) is the reductive coupling of activated olefins to yield a radical anion, which reacts with the parent olefin to give a reducible dimer (7). If the chemical step is very fast (in comparison to the electron-transfer process), the system will behave as an EE mechanism (of two successive charge-transfer steps). Table 2-1 summarizes common electrochemical mechanisms involving coupled chemical reactions. Powerful cyclic voltammetric computational simulators, exploring the behavior of virtually any user-specific mechanism, have... 

The latter reaction must involve a large number of molecular steps and may be a much slower process. The mechanisms of a few inorganic electron transfer processes have been summarized by Taube (1968). The presence of very slow reactions when several redox couples are possible means that the Eh value measured with an instrument may not be related in a simple way to the concentrations of species present, and different redox couples may not be in equilibrium with one another. Lindberg and Runnells (1984) have presented data on the extent of disequilibrium... 

Steps 1 and 2 constitute an oxidation by the ionic pathway by Cr and steps 6 and 7 a similar oxidation by Cr which is produced by an electron-transfer process. Either (step 3) or (step 4) is produced in step 2] may abstract a... 

The kinetic models for these reactions postulate fast complex-formation equilibria between the HA- form of ascorbic acid and the catalysts. The noted difference in the rate laws was rationalized by considering that some of the coordination sites remain unoccupied in the [Ru(HA)C12] complex. Thus, 02 can form a p-peroxo bridge between two monomer complexes [C12(HA)Ru-0-0-Ru(HA)C12]. The rate determining step is probably the decomposition of this species in an overall four-electron transfer process into A and H202. Again, this model does not postulate any change in the formal oxidation state of the catalyst during the reaction. 

A general difficulty encountered in kinetic studies of outer-sphere electron-transfer processes concerns the separation of the precursor formation constant (K) and the electron-transfer rate constant (kKT) in the reactions outlined above. In the majority of cases, precursor formation is a diffusion controlled step, followed by rate-determining electron transfer. In the presence of an excess of Red, the rate expression is given by... 

Eq. 19c). The mechanism of this transformation involves either a final iodine transfer step or an electron transfer process that give back the trifluoromethyl radical. 

Diacyl peroxides are, however, also electron transfer oxidants, which according to a theoretical analysis should possess standard potentials, °[(ArCOO)2/RCOO RCOO ) of around 0.6 V in water, provided that the electron transfer process is of the dissociative type (50) (Eberson, 1982c). Such a value brings thermal ET steps involving DBPO within reach for redox-active organic molecules, as for example suggested by the so-called CIEEL mechanism of chemiluminescence (Schuster, 1982). 

One of the advantages of electrochemical methods over more conventional chemical methods is the fact that the actual electron transfer process can be carried out at an electrode with a far greater degree of control than with a solution reactant. By careful application of the appropriate electrochemical techniques, it is possible to define the sequence of chemical and electron transfer steps in a given electrochemical process with... 

Similar to homogeneous electron-transfer processes, one can consider the observed electrochemical rate constant, k, , to be related to the electrochemical free energy of reorganization for the elementary electron-transfer step, AG, by... 

Figure 34 Typical cyclic voltammograms for a two-electron transfer process in which one of the steps is irreversible. Case R-I (a) A E° = —180 mV (b) A E° = 0 mV. Case I-R (c) AE01 = -180 mV. Case I-I (d) AE01 = -180 mV...

The simplest chronoamperometric technique is that defined as single potential step chronoamperometry. It consists of applying an appropriate potential to an electrode (under stationary conditions similar to those of cyclic voltammetry), which allows the electron transfer process under study (for instance Ox + ne — Red) to run instantaneously to completion (i.e. COx(0,0 —1 0). At the same time the decay of the generated current is monitored.20... 

For some years the distance between redox centres was considered as the rate determining step of electron transfer processes. However,... 

---