Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution without an electron mediator using a simple electron donor-acceptor dyad

A highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution system without an electron mediator such as methyl viologen (MV(2+)) has been constructed using 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion (Acr(+)-Mes), poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-protected platinum nanoclusters (Pt-PVP) and NADH (beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form) as the photocatalyst, hydrogen evolution catalyst and electron donor, respectively. The photocatalyst (Acr(+)-Mes) undergoes photoinduced electron transfer (ET) from the Mes moiety to the singlet excited state of the Acr(+) moiety to produce an extremely long-lived ET state, which is capable of oxidizing NADH and reducing Pt-PVP, leading to efficient hydrogen evolution. The hydrogen evolution efficiency is 300 times higher than that in the presence of MV(2+) because of the much faster reduction rate of Pt-PVP by Acr(*)-Mes compared with that by MV(*+). When the electron donor (NADH) is replaced by ethanol in the presence of an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), NADH is regenerated during the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.     

Photocatalytic oxygenation of anthracenes and olefins with dioxygen via selective radical coupling using 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion as an effective electron-transfer photocatalyst

Visible light irradiation of the absorption band of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion (Acr+-Mes) in an O2-saturated acetonitrile (MeCN) solution containing 9,10-dimethylanthracene results in formation of oxygenation product, i.e., dimethylepidioxyanthracene (Me2An-O2). Anthracene and 9-methylanthracene also undergo photocatalytic oxygenation with Acr+-Mes to afford the corresponding epidioxyanthracenes under the photoirradiation. In the case of anthracene, the further photoirradiation results in formation of anthraquinone as the final six-electron oxidation product, via 10-hydroxyanthrone, accompanied by generation of H2O2. When anthracene is replaced by olefins (tetraphenylethylene and tetramethylethylene), the photocatalytic oxygenation of olefins affords the corresponding dioxetane, in which the O-O bond is cleaved to yield the corresponding ketones. The photocatalytic oxygenation of anthracenes and olefins is initiated by photoexcitation of Acr+-Mes, which results in formation of the electron-transfer state: Acr*-Mes*+, followed by electron transfer from anthracenes and olefins to the Mes*+ moiety together with electron transfer from the Acr* moiety to O2. The resulting anthracene and olefin radical cations undergo the radical coupling reactions with O2*- to produce the epidioxyanthracene (An-O2) and dioxetane, respectively.     

Metal-free oxygenation of cyclohexane with oxygen catalyzed by 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium and hydrogen chloride under visible light irradiation

Photooxygenation of cyclohexane by O(2) occurs efficiently under visible-light irradiation of an O(2)-saturated acetonitrile solution containing 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ions (Acr(+)-Mes) and HCl to yield cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol and hydrogen peroxide. The photocatalytic reaction is initiated by electron transfer from Cl(-) to the mesitylene radical cation moiety.     

吖啶和钴肟配合物协同光催化苯乙烯放氢二聚反应构筑1,2-二氢-1-芳基萘（英文）

芳基二氢萘类衍生物是许多生物活性的天然产物以及药物的常见结构单元,其合成一直都受到化学家们的关注.传统的1,2-二氢-1-芳基萘骨架化合物的构筑大都需要进行底物的预官能团化,在高温条件下进行,且产物的选择性较差,因此发展一种简单温和的制备方法很有必要.最近兴起的可见光催化因具有条件温和、环境友好等特点而成为了合成化学家的研究热点.近期研究发现,在可见光作用下利用吖啶光敏剂的强氧化能力,可以实现苯乙烯的加成.但此类反应需要当量的氧化剂或氢原子转移试剂,容易导致苯乙烯的二聚环合产物的进一步氧化或还原.我们在前期发展的"放氢交叉偶联"反应的基础上,利用吖啶光催化和钴肟催化的协同作用,实现了苯乙烯的放氢二聚反应,在室温下高效构筑了1,2-二氢-1-芳基萘骨架,反应条件温和,底物脱除的电子和质子在钴肟催化剂作用下以氢气的形式释放,反应具有中等及以上的收率.本文以苯乙烯为模型底物,吖啶为光敏剂,钴肟配合物为质子还原催化剂,在乙腈溶剂中,蓝色LED灯下光照24 h可以获得56%的产率,对于其它的光敏剂如fac-Ⅰr(ppy)3等则不能催化该反应.通过催化剂种类及用量筛选表明,7 mol%的Co(dmgH_2)pyCl配合物具有最好的反应效果,可以获得72%的收率.控制实验表明,光敏剂、钴肟催化剂和光照都是必须的.通过底物拓展我们发现,烷基、卤素等不同取代基的苯乙烯类化合物均可以获得较好的收率,不同苯乙烯之间也可以发生交叉反应.随后,我们进一步通过光谱和中间体捕获实验对反应机理进行了研究.自由基捕获实验说明反应过程可能涉及自由基历程;光谱淬灭实验表明苯乙烯和Co(dmgH_2)pyCl均可淬灭吖啶的发光,但苯乙烯淬灭吖啶的程度远大于Co(dmgH_2)pyCl淬灭吖啶的程度.在反应时苯乙烯的浓度远大于催化剂的溶度,因此,我们认为激发态吖啶首先与苯乙烯发生反应;可见光照射反应体系1 min后在440–500和550–650 nm处观察到明显的Co~Ⅱ和Co~Ⅰ的吸收峰.基于以上实验结果,我们提出了可能的催化循环:吖啶受光激发到达激发态后,首先与底物苯乙烯发生单电子转移生成苯乙烯正离子自由基和吖啶阴离子自由基Acr~·-Mes,Acr~·-Mes还原Co(dmgH_2)pyCl生成Co ~Ⅱ中间体,从而回到基态完成光催化循环.苯乙烯正离子自由基与另一分子苯乙烯加成环合,进而通过芳构化生成自由基中间体,再与Co Ⅱ作用生成目标产物1,2-二氢-1-芳基萘和Co~Ⅰ,Co~Ⅰ通过结合体系中的质子进而释放出氢气回到Co~ Ⅲ从而完成钴肟催化循环.     

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under highly basic conditions by using Ru nanoparticles and 2-phenyl-4-(1-naphthyl)quinolinium ion

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution with a ruthenium metal catalyst under basic conditions (pH 10) has been made possible for the first time by using 2-phenyl-4-(1-naphthyl)quinolinium ion (QuPh(+)-NA), dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), and Ru nanoparticles (RuNPs) as the photocatalyst, electron donor, and hydrogen-evolution catalyst, respectively. The catalytic reactivity of RuNPs was virtually the same as that of commercially available PtNPs. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis measurements were performed to examine the photodynamics of QuPh(+)-NA in the presence of NADH. Upon photoexcitation of QuPh(+)-NA, the electron-transfer state of QuPh(+)-NA (QuPh(?)-NA(?+)) is produced, followed by formation of the π-dimer radical cation with QuPh(+)-NA, [(QuPh(?)-NA(?+))(QuPh(+)-NA)]. Electron transfer from NADH to the π-dimer radical cation leads to the production of 2 equiv of QuPh(?)-NA via deprotonation of NADH(?+) and subsequent electron transfer from NAD(?) to QuPh(+)-NA. Electron transfer from the photogenerated QuPh(?)-NA to RuNPs results in hydrogen evolution even under basic conditions. The rate of electron transfer from QuPh(?)-NA to RuNPs is much higher than the rate of hydrogen evolution. The effect of the size of the RuNPs on the catalytic reactivity for hydrogen evolution was also examined by using size-controlled RuNPs. RuNPs with a size of 4.1 nm exhibited the highest hydrogen-evolution rate normalized by the weight of RuNPs.     

Determination of the structural features of a long-lived electron-transfer state of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion

Extensive efforts have been devoted to developing electron donor-acceptor systems that mimic the utilization of solar energy that occurs in photosynthesis. X-ray crystallographic analysis shows how absorbed photon energy is stabilized in those compounds by structural changes upon photoinduced electron transfer (ET). In this study, structural changes of a simple electron donor-acceptor dyad, 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium cation (Acr(+)-Mes), upon photoinduced ET were directly observed by laser pump and X-ray probe crystallographic analysis. The N-methyl group in Acr(+) was bent, and a weak electrostatic interaction between Mes and a counteranion in the crystal (ClO(4)) was generated by photoinduced ET. These structural changes correspond to reduction and oxidation due to photoinduced ET and directly elucidate the mechanism in Acr(+)-Mes for mimicking photosynthesis efficiently.     

An Amine-Functionalized Zirconium Metal–Organic Polyhedron Photocatalyst with High Visible-Light Activity for Hydrogen Production

Metal–organic polyhedra (MOPs) are promising candidates for many potential applications; however, their use as photocatalysts for hydrogen production has yet to be developed. Herein, the photocatalytic performance of a water-stable Zr-MOP, ZrT-1-NH₂, was evaluated, for the first time, through photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible-light irradiation. ZrT-1-NH₂ shows clearly enhanced photocatalytic activity (510.42 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) for hydrogen production, in comparison with that of other homogeneous crystalline materials. If platinum nanoparticles were introduced into the photocatalytic system, the hydrogen production efficiency of ZrT-1-NH₂ could be further improved. For ZrT-1-NH₂, the conspicuous improvement in photocatalysis can be attributed to efficient electron–hole separation, targeted electron transfer, and excellent recombination suppression. Furthermore, ZrT-1-NH₂ shows excellent stability during photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over five continuous runs. This work illustrates that MOP-based photocatalysts hold promise for broad applications in the domain of clean energy.     

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from carbon-neutral oxalate with 2-phenyl-4-(1-naphthyl)quinolinium ion and metal nanoparticles

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution has been made possible by using oxalate as a carbon-neutral electron source, metal nanoparticles as hydrogen-evolution catalysts and the 2-phenyl-4-(1-naphthyl)quinolinium ion (QuPh(+)-NA), which forms the long-lived electron-transfer state upon photoexcitation, as a photocatalyst. The hydrogen evolution was conducted in a deaerated mixed solution of an aqueous buffer and acetonitrile (MeCN) [1:1 (v/v)] by photoirradiation (λ > 340 nm). The gas evolved during the photocatalytic reaction contained H(2) and CO(2) in a molar ratio of 1:2, indicating that oxalate acts as a two-electron donor. The hydrogen yield based on the amount of oxalate reached more than 80% under pH conditions higher than 6. Ni and Ru nanoparticles as well as Pt nanoparticles act as efficient hydrogen-evolution catalysts in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution can be used several times without significant deactivation of the catalytic activity. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis measurements have revealed that electron transfer from oxalate to the photogenerated QuPh˙-NA˙(+), which forms a π-dimer radical cation with QuPh(+)-NA [(QuPh˙-NA˙(+))(QuPh(+)-NA)], occurs followed by subsequent electron transfer from QuPh˙-NA to the hydrogen-evolution catalyst in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Oxalate acts as an efficient electron source under a wide range of reaction conditions.     

Platinum nanoparticles have an activity similar to mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase

This study was designed to examine if platinum nanoparticles have an activity similar to mitochondrial complex I, NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase. Platinum nanoparticles were prepared by a citrate reduction of H(2)PtCl(6) and protected by citrate itself and pectin (CP-Pt). Time- and dose-dependent decreases in NADH and a time-dependent increase in NAD(+) were observed in the presence of 50muM CP-Pt; these observations were made using a spectrophotometric method in which the maximum absorption spectra at 340 and 260nm were used for NADH and NAD(+), respectively. The required platinum concentration in CP-Pt to achieve a 50% oxidation of NADH for 3h was approximately 20muM, and this NADH oxidation did not require oxygen as an electron acceptor. We also verified NAD(+) formation using an NAD(+)/NADH quantification kit. The absorption peak shift from 278 to 284nm of 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-benzoquinone (CoQ(1)) was observed by incubating CoQ(1) with CP-Pt in an aqueous buffer. A further analysis with HPLC revealed the reduction of CoQ(1) to CoQ(1)H(2) by CP-Pt. As a whole, platinum nanoparticles have an NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase-like activity. This suggests that platinum nanoparticles are a potential medicinal substance for oxidative stress diseases with suppressed mitochondrial complex I.     

Photophysical and electrochemical properties of platinum(II) complexes bearing a chromophore-acceptor dyad and their photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

A series of platinum(II) complexes bearing a chromophore-acceptor dyad obtained by reacting 4-(p-bromomethylphenyl)-6-phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine or 4'-(p-bromomethylphenyl)-2,2':6',2'-terpyridine with pyridine, 4-phenylpyridine, 4,4'-bipyridine, 1-methyl-4-(pyridin-4'-yl)pyridinium hexafluorophosphate respectively, were synthesized. Their photophysical properties, emission quenching studies by Pt nanoparticles and methyl viologen, electrochemical properties and photoinduced electron-transfer reactions in a photocatalytic hydrogen-generating system containing triethanolamine and colloidal Pt without an extra electron relay, were investigated. A comparison of the rates of hydrogen production for the two photocatalytic systems, one containing a metal-organic dyad and the other comprising a 1:1 mixture of the parental platinum(II) complexes and the corresponding electron relay, showed that intramolecular electron transfer improves the photocatalytic efficiency. Compared with cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes, the related platinum(II) terpyridyl complexes exhibited poor performance for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. An investigation into the amount of hydrogen generated by three platinum(II) complexes containing cyclometalated ligands with methyl groups located on different phenyl rings revealed that the efficiency of hydrogen evolution was affected by a subtle change of functional group on ligand, and the hydrogen-generating efficiency in the presence or absence of methyl viologen is comparable, indicating electron transfer from the excited [Pt(C^N^N)] chromophore to colloidal Pt. (1)H NMR spectroscopy of the metal-organic dyads in an aqueous solution in the presence of excess triethanolamine revealed that the dyad with a viologen unit was unstable, and a chemical reaction in the compound occurred prior to irradiation by visible light under basic conditions.     

Enzyme-assisted reforming of glucose to hydrogen in a photoelectrochemical cell

Hydrogen gas has been produced by reforming glucose in a hybrid photoelectrochemical cell that couples a dye-sensitized nanoparticulate wide band gap semiconductor photoanode to the enzyme-based oxidation of glucose. A layer of porphyrin sensitizer is adsorbed to a TiO2 nanoparticulate aggregate sintered to a conducting glass substrate to form the photoanode. Excitation of the porphyrin results in electron injection into the TiO2, and migration to a microporous platinum cathode where hydrogen is produced by hydrogen ion reduction. The oxidized sensitizer dye is reduced by NADH, regenerating the dye and poising the NAD+/NADH redox couple oxidizing. The NAD+ is recycled to NADH by the enzyme glucose dehydrogenase, which obtains the necessary electrons from oxidation of glucose. The reforming of glucose produces gluconolactone, which hydrolyzes to gluconate; the electrochemical potential necessary to overcome thermodynamic and kinetic barriers to hydrogen production by NADH is provided by light. The quantum yield of hydrogen is approximately 2.5%.     

Reversible,electrochemical interconversion of NADH and NAD+ by the catalytic (Ilambda) subcomplex of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I)

NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) is the first enzyme of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and catalyzes the oxidation of beta-NADH by ubiquinone, coupled to transmembrane proton translocation. It contains a flavin mononucleotide (FMN) at the active site for NADH oxidation, up to eight iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters, and at least one ubiquinone binding site. Little is known about the mechanism of coupled electron-proton transfer in complex I. This communication demonstrates how the catalytic fragment of complex I, subcomplex Ilambda, can be adsorbed onto a pyrolytic graphite edge electrode to catalyze the interconversion of NADH and NAD+, with the electrode as the electron acceptor or donor. NADH oxidation and NAD+ reduction are completely reversible and occur without the application of an overpotential. The potential of zero current denotes the potential of the NAD+/NADH redox couple, and the dependence of ENAD+ on pH, and on the NADH:NAD+ ratio, is in accordance with the Nernst equation. The catalytic potential of the enzyme, Ecat, is close to one of the two reduction potentials of the active site FMN and to the potential of a nearby [2Fe - 2S] cluster; therefore, either one or both of these redox couples is suggested to be important in controlling NADH oxidation by complex I.     

Polymer viologen as a stabilizing agent of colloidal platinum for photoinduced electron transfer reactions

Photoinduced electron transfer and hydrogen evolution were investigated using colloidal platinum stabilized by viologen-pendant Nylon (Pt—PV²⁺). From laser flash photolysis experiments, the Pt—PV²⁺ was found to accept directly an electron from excited ZnTMPyP⁴⁺, and the reverse electron transfer was retarded by the positive charge of the protecting polymer, while no net electron transfer was observed for colloidal platinum stabilized by poly(vinyl alcohol) (Pt—PVA). The rate of hydrogen evolution was measured via steady-state irradiation experiments in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor. The quantum yield of hydrogen production with a Pt—PV²⁺ catalyst was higher than that with Pt—PVA by a factor of 7 and reached 0.38.     

DNA cleavage by UVA irradiation of NADH with dioxygen via radical chain processes

Efficient DNA cleaving-activity is observed by UVA irradiation of an O(2)-saturated aqueous solution of NADH (beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form). No DNA cleavage has been observed without NADH under otherwise the same experimental conditions. In the presence of NADH, energy transfer from the triplet excited state of NADH ((3)NADH*) to O(2) occurs to produce singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) that is detected by the phosphorescence emission at 1270 nm. No quenching of (1)O(2) by NADH was observed as indicated by no change in the intensity of phosphorescence emission of (1)O(2) at 1270 nm in the presence of various concentrations of NADH. In addition to the energy transfer, photoinduced electron transfer from (3)NADH* to O(2) occurs to produce NADH(*+) and O(2)(*-), both of which was observed by ESR. The quantum yield of the photochemical oxidation of NADH with O(2) increases linearly with increasing concentration of NADH but decreases with increasing the light intensity absorbed by NADH. Such unusual dependence of the quantum yield on concentration of NADH and the light intensity absorbed by NADH indicates that the photochemical oxidation of NADH with O(2) proceeds via radical chain processes. The O(2)(*-) produced in the photoinduced electron transfer is in the protonation equilibrium with HO(2)(*), which acts as a chain carrier for the radical chain oxidation of NADH with O(2) to produce NAD(+) and H(2)O(2), leading to the DNA cleavage.     

Cu-clusters nodes of 2D metal-organic frameworks as a cost-effective noble-metal-free cocatalyst with high atom-utilization efficiency for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Several 2D nanosheets of porphyrin MOFs with various transition-metal clusters as metal nodes were prepared via a simple solvothermal method to apply in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution,in which the hydrogen production rate of the optimal NS-Cu was as high as 15.39 mmol g^-1h^-1.A series of experimental technologies especially cyclic voltammetry （CV） and Mott-Schottky （M-S） had been adopted to investigate the charge-transfer property of photo-generated electron-hole pair...     

Photophysical behavior of acridine with amines within the micellar microenvironment of SDS: a time-resolved fluorescence and laser flash photolysis study

The photophysical behavior of acridine (Acr) shows a facilitated water assisted protonation equilibrium between its deprotonated (Acr* ～ 3.4 ns) and protonated forms (AcrH(+)* ～ 33 ns) within a confined environment of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) micelles above the critical micellar concentration of 8 mM. The acidic interface of the micelles is capable of protonating Acr whereas deprotonated Acr is partitioned into the hydrophobic core. The time-resolved-area-normalized-emission spectra confirm the presence of both Acr* and AcrH(+)*, while time-resolved-emission spectra depict time evolution between them. Quenching of AcrH(+)* with triethylamine (TEA) results in a linear Stern-Volmer (S-V) plot, whereas non-linearity arises with N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA). Both steady-state and time-resolved quenching results with TEA are explained on the basis of excited state proton transfer (ESPT), however the reasons behind the quenching of excited Acr with DMA are proposed as ESPT followed by a photoinduced electron transfer. Partitioning of DMA at the interface makes it accessible for both Acr* and AcrH(+)* in hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions of micelles respectively. The rate of electron transfer at the interface is found to be slower compared to that in the hydrophobic core. Characterization of transient intermediates formed during ESPT and PET between Acr and amines by laser-flash photolysis also supports the observation obtained during fluorescence studies. The mode of interactions between Acr and amines inside micelles is controlled by the localization of the proton/electron donors and acceptors in different hydrophobic or hydrophilic regions of such nano-confined environments.     

Improvement of durability of an organic photocatalyst in p-xylene oxygenation by addition of a Cu(II) complex

The catalytic durability of an organic photocatalyst, 9-mesityl-10-methyl acridinium ion (Acr(+)-Mes), has been dramatically improved by the addition of [{tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine}Cu(II)](ClO(4))(2) ([(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+)) in the photocatalytic oxygenation of p-xylene by molecular oxygen in acetonitrile. Such an improvement is not observed by the addition of Cu(ClO(4))(2) in the absence of organic ligands. The addition of [(tmpa)Cu](2+) in the reaction solution resulted in more than an 11 times higher turnover number (TON) compared with the TON obtained without [(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+). In the photocatalytic oxygenation, a stoichiometric amount of H(2)O(2) formation was observed in the absence of [(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+), however, much less H(2)O(2) formation was observed in the presence of [(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+). The photocatalytic mechanism was investigated by laser flash photolysis measurements in order to detect intermediates. The reaction of O(2)˙(-) with [(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+) monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy in propionitrile at 203 K suggested formation of [{(tmpa)Cu(II)}(2)O(2)](2+), a transformation which is crucial for the overall 4-electron reduction of molecular O(2) to water, and a key in the observed improvement in the catalytic durability of Acr(+)-Mes.     

Size- and shape-dependent activity of metal nanoparticles as hydrogen-evolution catalysts: mechanistic insights into photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) with different sizes and shapes was investigated in a photocatalytic hydrogen‐evolution system composed of the 9‐mesityl‐10‐methylacridinium ion (Acr⁺–Mes: photocatalyst) and dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH: electron donor), based on rates of hydrogen evolution and electron transfer from one‐electron‐reduced species of Acr⁺–Mes (Acr^.–Mes) to PtNPs. Cubic PtNPs with a diameter of (6.3±0.6) nm exhibited the maximum catalytic activity. The observed hydrogen‐evolution rate was virtually the same as the rate of electron transfer from Acr^.–Mes to PtNPs. The rate constant of electron transfer (k_et) increased linearly with increasing proton concentration. When H⁺ was replaced by D⁺, the inverse kinetic isotope effect was observed for the electron‐transfer rate constant (k_et(H)/k_et(D)=0.47). The linear dependence of k_et on proton concentration together with the observed inverse kinetic isotope effect suggests that proton‐coupled electron transfer from Acr^.–Mes to PtNPs to form the Pt? H bond is the rate‐determining step for catalytic hydrogen evolution. When FeNPs were used instead of PtNPs, hydrogen evolution was also observed, although the hydrogen‐evolution efficiency was significantly lower than that of PtNPs because of the much slower electron transfer from Acr^.–Mes to FeNPs.     

Ionic liquids as a novel medium for photochemical reactions. Ru(bpy)(3)2+/ viologen in imidazolium ionic liquid as a photocatalytic system mimicking the oxido-reductase enzyme

Ionic liquids are suitable media which stabilize charged intermediates favoring those mechanisms that occur through charge separation. We have used ionic liquids to develop a photocatalytic system to perform the reduction of a carbonyl group to alcohol, thus mimicking the behavior of the reductase enzymes. The photochemical cycle is based on the well-known electron transfer from the Ru(bpy)(3)2+ complex in its excited state, acting as electron donor to MV2+, which acts as electron acceptor. The initial electron transfer process can be promoted upon selective Ru(bpy)(3)2+ excitation by visible light. By means of laser flash photolysis we have provided evidence of the nature and lifetimes of the intermediates involved in the photocatalytic system. Thus, the initial electron transfer between Ru(bpy)(3)2+ triplets and viologen MV2+ forms the MV*+ radical cation, which upon accepting an H* atom from a suitable hydrogen atom donor, forms the corresponding dihydropyridine MVH+ reducing agent.     

DNA cleavage induced by thermal electron transfer from a dimeric NADH analogue to acridinium ions in the presence of oxygen

Acridinium ions, which can intercalate to DNA, act as thermal DNA cleavers in the presence of a dimeric NADH analogue and O2 in an aqueous solution via thermal electron transfer from a dimeric NADH analogue to acridinium ions, followed by the electron-transfer reduction of O2 to O2*- by the resulting NAD radicals.