Effective distances of exothermic charge-transfer reactions in the excited state

Abstract

A study of intermolecular, exothermic charge-transfer interactions is described. A distance dependence on the unimolecular charge-transfer rate constant k,,(R) is observed in viscous solvents where transfer at longer distances than the collisional one can compete with dissociation of an encounter complex. A comparative study of the quenching phenomena, occurring in a family of redox partners of aromatic esters and amines, was carried out in nonviscous solvents (hexane and acetonitrile) and viscous solvents (liquid paraffin/heptane mixtures and nonionic micelles of Triton X100). In the latter, the experimental reactional distances obtained are discussed in terms of effective distances R,ff, which are related to an average value of kct(Reff) for the reactant pair distribution function. A correlation of these distances with either the free activation energy, Act , or the diffusion coefficient D enables the estimation of an order of magnitude of parameters such as the average radii of donor and acceptor orbitals, L = (2.7 f 0.2) X cm, a preexponential factor at the collisional distance, k’,,(R,) = 3.7 X 10” d, an intrinsic reorganization parameter X = 0.64 eV, and an electronic matrix element V(Rc) N eV for the nonpolar media studied. An equation for kct(R), k,,(R) = koct(R,) exp[-2(R R,)/L] exp(-AG*/kB7+), derived within the framework of a semiclassical theory, is used to discuss these interactions as equally nonadiabatic reactions to which an extended Marcus formalism is applied.