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Light-induced giant dipoles in simple model compounds for photosynthesis

Nature volume 320, pages 615–616 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

The primary steps in photosynthesis involve very rapid (sub-nanosecond) electron transfer between molecular entities that are rigidly embedded within a lipid membrane and separated from each other by well-defined distances on the order of 10 Å. In an attempt to simulate such systems we have studied photon-induced electron transfer within specially synthesized molecular assemblies in which a donor moiety is separated from an electron acceptor by a rigid, saturated hydrocarbon framework of variable length, from 5 to 13 Å. We find charge separation to occur on a sub-nanosecond timescale with close to unit quantum efficiency in all cases. The lifetimes of the resulting charge-transfer states, with dipole moments approaching 70 debye units, can extend to several hundred nanoseconds. Non-conjugated hydrocarbon bridges may be important in determining the rate and direction of electron transfer in photo-excited natural or artificial molecular systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interuniversity Reactor Institute, Mekelweg 15, 2600 GA, Delft, The Netherlands

    John M. Warman & Matthijs P. de Haas

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, PO Box 1, Kensington, New South Wales, 2033, Australia

    M. N. Paddon-Row & E. Cotsaris

  3. Department of Theoretical Chemistry, University of Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia

    N. S. Hush

  4. Laboratory for Organic Chemistry, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129, 1018 WS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    H. Oevering & J. W. Verhoeven

Authors
  1. John M. Warman
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  2. Matthijs P. de Haas
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  3. M. N. Paddon-Row
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  4. E. Cotsaris
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  5. N. S. Hush
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  6. H. Oevering
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  7. J. W. Verhoeven
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Warman, J., de Haas, M., Paddon-Row, M. et al. Light-induced giant dipoles in simple model compounds for photosynthesis. Nature 320, 615–616 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/320615a0

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