Excitation energy electrochemiluminescence

A variety of transition metal complexes including organometallics was subjected to an ac electrolysis in a simple undivided electrochemical cell, containing only two current-carrying platinum electrodes. The compounds (A) are reduced and oxidized at the same electrode. If the excitation energy of these compounds is smaller than the potential difference of the reduced (A ) and oxidized (A ) forms, back electron transfer may regenerate the complexes in an electronically excited state (A+ + A A + A). Under favorable conditions an electrochemiluminescence (eel) is then observed (A A + hv). A weak eel appeared upon electrolysis o t]jie following complexes Ir(III)-(2-phenylpyridine-C, N ) [Cu(I)(pyridine)i],... 

Electrochemiluminescence Emission occurring in solution, from an electronically excited state produced by high-energy electron transfer reactions Electrogenerated chemiluminescence Emission produced at an electrode surface Oxyluminescence Emission from polymers caused by oxidative processes (presence of oxygen is required)... 

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) is the process whereby a chemiluminescence emission is produced directly, or indirectly, as a result of electrochemical reactions. It is also commonly known as electrochemiluminescence and electroluminescence. In general, electrically generated reactants diffuse from one or more electrodes, and undergo high-energy electron transfer reactions either with one another or with chemicals in the bulk solution. This process yields excited-state molecules, which produce a chemiluminescent emission in the vicinity of the electrode surface. 

This mechanism has been formulated in analogy to the known electrochemiluminescence, in which radical-ion annihilation generated at opposite electrodes leads to the formation of the electronically excited state (Scheme 2) . The difference between the CIEEL mechanism and electrochemiluminescence is that, in the former, the radical ions—whose annihilation is responsible for the formation of the excited state—are formed chemically by electron transfer to high-energy peroxides and subsequent bond cleavage or rearrangements. 

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