Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.118, No.42, 10228-10235, 1996
Radical Pair and Triplet-State Dynamics of a Photosynthetic Reaction-Center Model Embedded in Isotropic Media and Liquid-Crystals
The electron spin dynamics associated with intramolecular electron transfer in a photosynthetic model system, which consists of a linear structure of the type A-B-C, is described. In this structure, donor A is a p-methoxyaniline, chromophore B is a 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide, and acceptor C is a 1,4:5,8-napththalenediimide. This supramolecular electron donor-acceptor array was isotropically oriented in toluene, and anisotropically oriented in liquid crystal matrices, and studied by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Photoexcitation of B results in a two-step electron transfer to yield the radical ion pair, A(.+)-B-C-.-. Charge recombination within A(.+)-B-C-.- produces a molecular triplet state, A-B-C-3*, which exhibits the unique spin-polarized electron paramagnetic resonance signal that has been observed only in photosynthetic reaction-center proteins.
Keywords:ELECTRON-PARAMAGNETIC-RESONANCE;SPIN POLARIZATION;TRANSFER RATES;SPECTRA;SPECTROSCOPY;MIMICRY;ENERGY;ESR;RES;EPR