Charge-transfer ligand-to-metal

Mn(acac)3 in the above mechanism undergoes an intramolecular photooxidation-reduction reaction arising from the ligand to metal charge transfer process (LMCT). 

These iridium(IV) complexes have UV-visible spectra dominated by intense absorptions around 500 nm (X = Cl) and 700 nm (X = Br) assignable to 7tx —> Ir(t2g) ligand-to-metal charge-transfer bonds. 

FIGURE 16.33 In a ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transition, an energetically excited electron migrates from a ligand to the central metal ion. This type of transition is responsible for the intense purple of the permanganate ion, MnCF,. ... 

Another possible route for reduction of the iron center is photoreduction. This has been studied in a variety of marine siderophore systems, such as aquachelin, marinobactin, and aerobactin (2), where it was demonstrated that photolytic reduction was due to a ligand-to-metal charge transfer band of the Fe(III)-siderophore complex, eventually resulting in reduction ofiron(III) and cleavage of the siderophore (31,154,155). This suggests a possible role for iron reduction in iron release (71,155). 

In heterogeneous photoredox systems also a surface complex may act as the chromophore. This means that in this case not a bimolecular but a unimolecular photoredox reaction takes place, since electron transfer occurs within the lightabsorbing species, i.e. through a ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transition within the surface complex. This has been suggested for instance for the photochemical reductive dissolution of iron(III)(hydr)oxides (Waite and Morel, 1984 Siffert and Sulzberger, 1991). For continuous irradiation the quantum yield is then ... 

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