Excited state electron-transfer reactions of transition metal complexes

Abstract

Abstract The properties of excited states of transition metal complexes are briefly reviewed. The outer-sphere electron transfer reactions of the excited states of complexes containing 2,2'-bipyridine or 1,10-phenanthroline ligands are discussed in detail, with particular reference to electron vs energy transfer quenching and conversion of light into chemical energy. The kinetic aspects of outer–sphere electron transfer reactions involving excited states are examined with particular reference to the so-called “Marcus inverted behavior” which is not observed in most of the systems studied. The extension of the kinetic formalism used for electron transfer reactions to energy transfer processes yields a unified view of “classical” and “ non-classical” energy transfer behavior.