Electron-transfer oxidation properties of DNA bases and DNA oligomers

Kinetics for the thermal and photoinduced electron-transfer oxidation of a series of DNA bases with various oxidants having the known one-electron reduction potentials (E(red)) in an aqueous solution at 298 K were examined, and the resulting electron-transfer rate constants (k(et)) were evaluated in light of the free energy relationship of electron transfer to determine the one-electron oxidation potentials (E(ox)) of DNA bases and the intrinsic barrier of the electron transfer. Although the E(ox) value of GMP at pH 7 is the lowest (1.07 V vs SCE) among the four DNA bases, the highest E(ox) value (CMP) is only 0.19 V higher than that of GMP. The selective oxidation of GMP in the thermal electron-transfer oxidation of GMP results from a significant decrease in the pH dependent oxidation potential due to the deprotonation of GMP*+. The one-electron reduced species of the photosensitizer produced by photoinduced electron transfer are observed as the transient absorption spectra when the free energy change of electron transfer is negative. The rate constants of electron-transfer oxidation of the guanine moieties in DNA oligomers with Fe(bpy)3(3+) and Ru(bpy)3(3+) were also determined using DNA oligomers containing different guanine (G) sequences from 1 to 10 G. The rate constants of electron-transfer oxidation of the guanine moieties in single- and double-stranded DNA oligomers with Fe(bpy)3(2+) and Ru(bpy)3(3+) are dependent on the number of sequential guanine molecules as well as on pH.     

Drastic difference in lifetimes of the charge-separated state of the formanilide-anthraquinone dyad versus the ferrocene-formanilide-anthraquinone triad and their photoelectrochemical properties of the composite films with fullerene clusters

A long-lived charge-separated (CS) state, which can be observed even at 900 mus after laser excitation, has been attained in the formanilide-anthraquinone dyad (FA-AQ) in dimethyl sulfoxide, whereas the CS lifetime is shortened significantly to 20 ps in the ferrocene-formanilide-anthraquinone triad (Fc-FA-AQ). Such a drastic decrease in the CS lifetime by the addition of a ferrocene moiety to the FA-AQ dyad is ascribed to a decrease in the driving force of back electron transfer and an increase in the reorganization energy of electron transfer despite the longer charge-separation distance. The FA-AQ dyad and the Fc-FA-AQ triad have been employed as components of photovoltaic cells, where composite molecular nanoclusters of the FA-AQ dyad or the Fc-FA-AQ triad with fullerene (C60) are assembled onto a SnO2 electrode using an electrophoretic method. The composite films of the Fc-FA-AQ triad exhibit 10 times smaller values of an incident photon-to-photocurrent efficiency (IPCE) as compared with those of the FA-AQ dyad in accordance with a drastic decrease of the CS lifetime by addition of a ferrocene moiety to the FA-AQ dyad.     

Driving force dependence of intermolecular electron-transfer reactions of fullerenes

Pulse-radiolytic studies were performed to determine the rate constants of intermolecular electron transfer (k(et)) from fullerenes (C(60), C(76), and C(78)) to a series of arene radical cations in dichloromethane. The one-electron oxidation potentials of the employed arenes-corresponding to the one-electron reduction potentials of arene pi-radical cations-were determined in dichloromethane to evaluate the driving forces of electron-transfer oxidation of fullerenes with arene pi-radical cations. The driving force dependence of log k(et) shows a pronounced decrease towards the highly exothermic region, representing the first definitive confirmation of the existence of the Marcus inverted region in a truly intermolecular electron transfer. Electron-transfer reduction of fullerenes with anthracene radical anion was also examined by laser flash photolysis in benzonitrile. The anthracene radical anion was produced by photoinduced electron transfer from 10,10'-dimethyl-9,9',10,10'-tetrahydro-9,9'-biacridine [(AcrH)(2)] to the singlet excited state of anthracene in benzonitrile. The rate constants of electron transfer (k(et)) from anthracene radical anion to C(60), C(70), and a C(60) derivative were determined from the decay of anthracene radical anion in the presence of various concentrations of the fullerene. Importantly, a significant decrease in the k(et) value was observed at large driving forces (1.50 eV) as compared to the diffusion-limited value seen at smaller driving forces (0.96 eV). In conclusion, our study presents clear evidence for the Marcus inverted region in both the electron-transfer reduction and oxidation of fullerenes.     

Quaternary self-organization of porphyrin and fullerene units by clusterization with gold nanoparticles on SnO2 electrodes for organic solar cells

Novel organic solar cells prepared using quaternary self-organization of porphyrin (donor) and fullerene (acceptor) dye units by clusterization with gold nanoparticles on SnO2 electrodes exhibit the remarkable enhancement of the photoelectrochemical properties relative to the reference systems.     

Long-lived charge-separated state produced by photoinduced electron transfer in a zinc imidazoporphyrin-C(60) dyad

[reaction: see text] Photoexcitation of a zinc imidazoporphyrin-fullerene dyad with a short linkage results in formation of the charge-separated state by photoinduced electron transfer. The charge-separated state has a lifetime of 310 micros in benzonitrile at 278 K, which is the longest lifetime in solution ever reported for electron donor-acceptor-linked dyads.     

Oxo-transfer reaction from a bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) complex to sulfides

Oxygenation of sulfides to the corresponding sulfoxides by a distinct bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) complex has been accomplished for the first time using 2-(2-pyridyl)ethylamine derivative L(Py1Bz) (N-ethyl-N-[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]-alpha,alpha-dideuteriobenzylamine) as the supporting ligand. Detailed kinetic analysis has indicated that the reaction consists of two distinct steps, where the first quick process is association of the substrate to the bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) complex (k(1)) and the second slow process is intramolecular oxygen atom transfer from the copper-oxo species to the substrate in the associated complex (k(2)). The rate constant k(2) of the second process is rather insensitive to the oxidation potential of the substrates, suggesting that the oxo-transfer reaction proceeds via a mechanism involving direct oxygen atom transfer rather than a mechanism involving electron transfer.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in self-assembled monolayers of porphyrin-fullerene dyads on ITO

Two porphyrin-fullerene dyads were synthesized to form self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode, with either ITO-porphyrin-fullerene or ITO-fullerene-porphyrin orientations. The dyads contain two linkers for connecting the porphyrin and fullerene moieties and enforcing them essentially to similar geometries of the donor-acceptor pair, and two linkers to ensure the attachment of the dyads to the ITO surface with two desired opposite orientations. The transient photovoltage responses (Maxwell displacement charge) were measured for the dyad films covered by insulating LB films, thus ensuring that the dyads interact only with the ITO electrode. The direction of the electron transfer was from the photoexcited dyad to ITO independent of the dyad orientation. The response amplitude for the ITO-fullerene-porphyrin structure, where the primary intramolecular electron-transfer direction coincides with the direction of the final electron transfer from the dyad to ITO, was 25 times stronger than that for the opposite ITO-porphyrin-fullerene orientation of the dyad. Static photocurrent measurements in a liquid electrochemical cell, however, show only a minor orientation effect, indicating that the photocurrent generation is controlled by the processes at the SAM-liquid interface.     

New perspective of electron transfer chemistry

A new perspective of electron transfer chemistry is described for fine control of electron transfer reactions including back electron transfer in the charge separated state of artificial photosynthetic compounds and its synthetic application. Fundamental electron transfer properties of suitable components of efficient electron transfer systems are described in light of the Marcus theory of electron transfer, in particular focusing on the Marcus inverted region, and they are applied to design multi-step electron transfer systems which can well mimic the function of a photosynthetic reaction center. Both intermolecular and intramolecular electron transfer processes are finely controlled by complexation of radical anions, produced in the electron transfer, with metal ions which act as Lewis acids. Quantitative measures to determine the Lewis acidity of a variety of metal ions are given in relation to the promoting effects of metal ions on the electron transfer reactions. The mechanistic viability of metal ion catalysis in electron transfer reactions is demonstrated by a variety of examples of chemical transformations involving metal ion-promoted electron transfer processes as the rate-determining steps, which are made possible by complexation of radical anions with metal ions.     

Mechanisms of hydrogen-, oxygen-, and electron-transfer reactions of cumylperoxyl radical

Rates of hydrogen-transfer reactions from a series of para-substituted N,N-dimethylanilines to cumylperoxyl radical and oxygen-transfer reactions from cumylperoxyl radical to a series of sulfides and phosphines have been determined in propionitrile (EtCN) and pentane at low temperatures by use of ESR. The observed rate constants exhibit first-order and second-order dependence with respect to concentrations of N,N-dimethylanilines. This indicates that the hydrogen- and oxygen-transfer reactions proceed via 1:1 charge-transfer (CT) complexes formed between the substrates and cumylperoxyl radical. The primary kinetic isotope effects are determined by comparing the rates of N,N-dimethylanilines and the corresponding N,N-bis(trideuteriomethyl)anilines. The isotope effect profiles are quite different from those reported for the P-450 model oxidation of the same series of substrates. Rates of electron-transfer reactions from ferrocene derivatives to cumylperoxyl radical have also been determined by use of ESR. The catalytic effects of Sc(OTf)(3) (OTf = triflate) on the electron-transfer reactions are compared with those of Sc(OTf)(3) on the hydrogen- and oxygen-transfer reactions. Such comparison provides strong evidence that the hydrogen- and oxygen- transfer reactions of cumylperoxyl radical proceed via a one-step hydrogen atom and oxygen atom transfer rather than via an electron transfer from substrates to cumylperoxyl radical.     

Solvent‐Free Photooxidation of Alkanes by Dioxygen with 2,3‐Dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐p‐benzoquinone via Photoinduced Electron Transfer

Photooxidation of alkanes by dioxygen occurred under visible light irradiation of 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐p‐benzoquinone (DDQ) which acts as a super photooxidant. Solvent‐free hydroxylation of cyclohexane and alkanes is initiated by electron transfer from alkanes to the singlet and triplet excited states of DDQ to afford the corresponding radical cations and DDQ^??, as revealed by femtosecond laser‐induced transient absorption measurements. Alkane radical cations readily deprotonate to produce alkyl radicals, which react with dioxygen to afford alkylperoxyl radicals. Alkylperoxyl radicals abstract hydrogen atoms from alkanes to yield alkyl hydroperoxides, accompanied by regeneration of alkyl radicals to constitute the radical chain reactions, so called autoxidation. The radical chain is terminated in the bimolecular reactions of alkylperoxyl radicals to yield the corresponding alcohols and ketones. DDQ^??, produced by the photoinduced electron transfer from alkanes to the excited state of DDQ, disproportionates with protons to yield DDQH₂.