Amide-linked spiropyran-anthraquinone (SP-AQ) conjugates were shown to mediate ZnTPPS4--photosensitized transmembrane reduction of occluded Co(bpy)(3)(3+) within unilamellar phosphatidylcholine vesicles by external EDTA. Overall quantum yields for these reactions were dependent upon the isomeric state of the dye; specifically, 30-35% photoconversion of the closed-ring spiropyran (SP) moiety to the open-ring merocyanine (MC) form caused the quantum yield to decrease by 6-fold in the simple conjugate and 3-fold for an analogue containing a lipophilic 4-dodecylphenoxy substituent on the anthraquinone moiety. Transient spectroscopic and fluorescence quenching measurements revealed that two factors contributed to these photoisomerization-induced changes in quantum yields: increased efficiencies of fluorescence quenching of (1)ZnTppS(4-) by the merocyanine group and lowered transmembrane diffusion rates of the merocyanine-containing redox carriers. Transient spectrophotometry also revealed the sequential formation and decay of two reaction intermediates, identified as (3)ZnTppS(4-) and a species with the optical properties of a semiquinone radical. Kinetic profiles for Co(bpy)(3)(3+) reduction under continuous photolysis in the presence and absence of added ionophores indicated that transmembrane redox mediated by SP-AQ was electroneutral, but reaction by the other quinone-containing mediators was electrogenic. The minimal reaction mechanism suggested from the combined studies is oxidative quenching of vesicle-bound (3)ZnTppS(4-) by the anthraquinone unit, followed by either H+/e(-) cotransport by transmembrane diffusion of SP-AQH(center dot) or, for the other redox mediators, semiquinone anion-quinone electron exchange leading to net transmembrane electron transfer, with subsequent one-electron reduction of the internal Co(bpy)(3)(3+). Thermal one-electron reduction of Co(bpy)(3)(3+) by EDTA is energetically unfavorable; the photosensitized reaction therefore occurs with partial conversion of photonic energy to chemical and transmembrane electrochemical potentials.