Solvent trapping electron transfer

Finally, an ingenious synthetic sequence by Trost, Cossy and Burks201 includes a unique desulphonylation reaction that involves an electron-transfer process. The synthetic sequence uses 1, l-bis(phenylsulphonyl)cyclopropane as a source of three carbon atoms, since this species is readily alkylated even by weakly nucleophilic species. Given an appropriate structure for the nucleophile, Trost found that desulphonylation with lithium phenanthrenide in an aprotic solvent allowed for an efficient intramolecular trapping of the resultant carbanion (equation 88). This desulphonylation process occurs under very mild conditions and in high yields it will undoubtedly attract further interest. 

Specific Electron Loss. Certain solvents, such as CC14, CFC13 or SF6 trap ejected electrons with high efficiency, and irreversibly, but the electron-loss centres are mobile via electron transfer, and hence can readily reach solute molecules (S) even in very low concentration. The sequence of reactions is summarised in reactions [11]-[14] for the most commonly used matrix, CFC13. 

In the classical limit where the condition << kgT is met for the trapping vibrations, the rate constant for electron transfer is given by eq. 6. In eq. 6, x/4 is the classical vibrational trapping energy which includes contributions from both intramolecular (X ) and solvent (XQ) vibrations (eq. 5). In eq. 6 AE is the internal energy difference in the reaction, vn is the frequen-... 

DR. SIDERS The data of Beitz and Miller are very interesting but I feel uncertain about their correct interpretation because the measurements were for transfer of an electron from a solvent trap rather than from a molecule. Also, there s lot of scatter in the data, although they do seem to show inversion. Finally, the data were obtained in a 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran glass at 77°K, which may differ significantly from water at room temperature. 

These aggravating reactions proceed at room temperature or under moderate heating up to 60°C without light excitation and in the absence of oxygen, that is, in conditions common to electron-transfer reactions. (Some of these reactions just take place in nonpolar solvents of the decane or xylene type.) Hence, application of nitrosobenzene as spin traps can be complicated by solvent participation. 

Marcus attempted to calculate the minimum energy reaction coordinate or reaction trajectory needed for electron transfer to occur. The reaction coordinate includes contributions from all of the trapping vibrations of the system including the solvent and is not simply the normal coordinate illustrated in Figure 1. In general, the reaction coordinate is a complex function of the coordinates of the series of normal modes that are involved in electron trapping. In this approach to the theory of electron transfer the rate constant for outer-sphere electron transfer is given by equation (18). 

Equation (36), which attempts to include both t and re, has been proposed as a more general expression for et.48 Note that in the limit, when Te -4 t , the expression for the electron transfer rate constant (equation 37) no longer depends on the extent of electronic coupling since vel > vn. In this limit the rate constant for electron transfer for a vibrational distribution near the intersection region is dictated by rates of repopulation of those intramolecular and/or solvent modes which cause the trapping of the exchanging electron. 

The most striking application of electron transfer theory has been to the direct calculation of electron transfer rate constants for a series of metal complex couples.36 37 46 The results of several such calculations taken from ref. 37b are summarized in Table 2. The calculations were made based on intemuclear separations appropriate to the reactants in close contact except for the second entry for Fe(H20)j3+/2+, where at r = 5.25 A there is significant interpenetratidn of the inner coordination spheres. The Ke values are based on ab initio calculations of the extent of electronic coupling. k includes the total contributions to electron transfer from solvent and the trapping vibrations using the dielectric continuum result for A0. the quantum mechanical result for intramolecular vibrations, and known bond distance changes from measurements in the solid state or in solution. 

The absorption band shape is necessarily dictated by those same intramolecular trapping and solvent vibrations which determine the rate of thermal electron transfer since the change in electronic distribution is the same for the two processes. The band shape depends on the product of two terms. The first is the transition moment M = the square of which determines the... 

Rate constants for quenching of 1-7 by methanol and acetic acid in hexane solution from fluorescence quenching and quantum yield data are 10 M l-s-l-. Limiting quantum yields for adduct formation are 0.1. The observation of reactions of protic solvent with 1-7 but not 1-t may reflect the longer lifetime and/or enhanced reactivity of the cyclic molecule. While photo-induced nucleophilic addition is a common reaction of aryl olefins, it is normally observed to occur only under conditions of electron-transfer sensitization (139). Under these conditions, it is the aryl olefin cation radical which undergoes nucleophilic attack. The reaction of 1-7 with protic solvents appears to be the only reported example of nucleophilic trapping of an aryl olefin it,it singlet state (140). 

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