Conformational and photophysical studies on porphyrin-containing donor-bridge-acceptor compounds. Charge separation in micellar nanoreactors

Photophysical studies with semi-rigid, 1, and flexible, 2, donor-bridge-acceptor (D-b-A2+) molecules with D a porphyrin and A2+ a methyl viologen moiety, were performed in neat polar solvents as well as included in surfactant (DTAB) aqueous and in reverse AOT/n-alkane micelles. The micelles acted as nanoreactors for the photoinduced electron transfer reaction upon laser excitation. In spite of the longer lifetime of the charge separated (CS) state in the semi-rigid tetrad 1(ca. 200 ns vs. ca. 100 ns for the flexible dyad 2), the CS formation quantum yield, for example in acetonitrile, was lower for the former (phi(CS) = 0.13) than for the latter (0.58). Comparison of the time-resolved fluorescence data in neat solvent and in the micelles yielded the phi(CS) values in the dilute micellar solutions. Application of laser-induced optoacoustic spectroscopy at various temperatures to 1 dissolved in a polar organic solvent (benzonitrile, BZN) included in aqueous DTAB nanoreactors afforded structural volume changes for the production in hundreds of ps of the CS state upon excitation of a polar molecule. The contraction during CS formation upon excitation of the collapsed conformer in BZN is attributed to the entering of solvent into the open molecular cavity. The opening upon formation of the CS state due to photoinduced electron transfer in the 1 collapsed conformation arises from the repulsion of the two positively charged ends in this state, as previously calculated. Inclusion of 1 in reverse AOT micelles in various n-alkanes also led to a contraction upon excitation, but the data had much more error due to the limited range of variability of the ratio of thermoelastic parameters. The data obtained with the more flexible "supermolecule" 2 showed the predicted large conformation flexibility of these molecules.     

Use of U-shaped donor-bridge-acceptor molecules to study electron tunneling through nonbonded contacts

A systematic determination of electronic coupling matrix elements in U-shaped molecules is demonstrated. The unique architecture of these systems allows for the determination of the electronic coupling through a pendant molecular moiety that resides between the donor and acceptor groups; this moiety quantifies the efficiency of electron tunneling through nonbonded contacts. Experimental electron-transfer rate constants and reaction free energies are used to calibrate a molecular-based model that describes the solvation energy. This approach makes it possible to experimentally determine electronic couplings and compare them with computational values.     

The magnitude of destabilization of stabilized cations by cyano and trifluoromethyl groups

$\text{Ab initio}$ calculations predict that cyano and trifluoromethyl groups both have large destabilizing effects on α-heteroatom stabilized cations, whereas CN is a much weaker destabilizer than CF₃ of less stabilized cations.     

THERMODYNAMIC AND PARTICLE-DYNAMIC STUDIES ON SYNTHESIS OF SILICA NANOPARTICLES USING MICROWAVE-INDUCED PLASMA CVD

1. Introduction1.1 Silica nanoparticles and synthesis methods Silica (SiO2) nanoparticles are widely used in industry asan active filler for polymer reinforcement, a rheologicaladditive in fluids, a free flow agent in powders, and anagent for chemical mechanical polishing during IC (inte-grated circuit) fabrication (Sniegowski & de Boer, 2000).Silica powder is also used for producing silicon carbide(Koc & Cattamanchi, 1998) or opaque silica aerosols (Leeet al., 1995). Many methods can …     

Photoinduced electron transfer dynamics in porphyrin donor dyads

Intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer (PET) processes occurring in dyads with a free base porphyrin-tetraazaanthracene donor (P) and either a tetracyanonaphthoquinidodimethane (TCQ) or benzoquinone (BQ) acceptor linked by a rigid six σ-bond polynorbornane bridge ([6]) have been investigated. For P[6]BQ, PET in the polar solvent benzonitrile (_s = 25.9) occurs with a rate constant (k_PET) of 1.6 × 10⁸ s⁻¹ but is not evident in solvents less polar than tetrahydrofuran (_s = 7.52). For P[6]TCQ, highly efficient forward PET occurs in both polar and non-polar solvents (k_PET > 2 × 10¹⁰ s⁻¹). For P[6]TCQ the lifetime of the resulting charge-separated state decreases markedly with increasing solvent polarity. The results are discussed in the context of the likely mechanisms for electronic coupling and current theories for PET processes in such linked molecular systems.     

Scanning electrochemical microscopy. 59. Effect of defects and structure on electron transfer through self-assembled monolayers

Electron transfer (ET) rate kinetics through n-alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols of different chain lengths [Me(CH2)nSH; n=8, 10, 11, 15] on Au and Hg surfaces and ferrocene (Fc)-terminated SAMs (poly-norbornylogous and HS(CH2)12CONHCH2Fc) on Au were studied using cyclic voltammetry and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The SECM results allow determination of the ET kinetics of solution-phase Ru(NH3)63+/2+ through the alkanethiol SAMs on Au and Hg. A model using the potential dependence of the measured rate constants is proposed to compensate for the pinhole contribution. Extrapolated values of koML for Ru(NH3)63+/2+ using the model follow the expected exponential decay (beta is 0.9) for different chain lengths. For a Fc-terminated poly-norbornyl SAM, the standard rate constant of direct tunneling (ko is 189+/-31 s(-1)) is in the same order as the ko value of HS(CH2)12CONHCH2Fc. In blocking and Fc SAMs, the rates of ET are demonstrated to follow Butler-Volmer kinetics with transfer coefficients alpha of 0.5. Lower values of alpha are treated as a result of the pinhole contribution. The normalized rates of ET are 3 orders of magnitude higher for Fc-terminated than for blocking monolayers. Scanning electron microscopy imaging of Pd nanoparticles electrochemically deposited in pinholes of blocking SAMs was used to confirm the presence of pinholes.