Radicals reactions, intersystem crossings

By examining the expression for Q ( equation (B1.16.4)). it should now be clear that the nuclear spin state influences the difference in precessional frequencies and, ultimately, the likelihood of intersystem crossing, tlnough the hyperfme tenn. It is this influence of nuclear spin states on electronic intersystem crossing which will eventually lead to non-equilibrium distributions of nuclear spin states, i.e. spin polarization, in the products of radical reactions, as we shall see below. 

Fig. 1 Schematic mechanism for the long-distance oxidation of DNA. Irradiation of the anthraquinone (AQ) and intersystem crossing (ISC) forms the triplet excited state (AQ 3), which is the species that accepts an electron from a DNA base (B) and leads to products. Electron transfer to the singlet excited state of the anthraquinone (AQ 1) leads only to back electron transfer. The anthraquinone radical anion (AQ ) formed in the electron transfer reaction is consumed by reaction with oxygen, which is reduced to superoxide. This process leaves a base radical cation (B+-, a hole ) in the DNA with no partner for annihilation, which provides time for it to hop through the DNA until it is trapped by water (usually at a GG step) to form a product, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-OxoG)...

Nonthermal Microwave Effects - Intersystem Crossing in Radical-recombination Reactions... 

The theory of CIDNP depends on the nuclear spin dependence of intersystem crossing in a radical (ion) pair, and the electron spin dependence of radical pair reaction rates. These principles cause a sorting of nuclear spin states into different products, resulting in characteristic nonequilibrium populations in the nuclear spin levels of geminate (in cage) reaction products, and complementary populations in free radical (escape) products. The effects are optimal for radical parrs with nanosecond lifetimes. 

---