Intramolecular Excited State Electron Transfer from Naphthalene to Cobalt(III)

Abstract

The majority of intramolecular photoredox processes of metal complexes which have been reported 1,2) takes place upon direct optical charge transfer (CT) excitation. As an alternative intramolecular photoredox processes may occur by an excited state electron transfer. An excited chromophoric group of a complex can undergo an electron transfer to or from another part of the same complex. While in intermolecular photoredox processes the structural arrangement of donor and accep- tor in the encounter pair is not known intramolecular electron transfer occurs in a better defined environment. Although these features make it attractive to study intramolecular excited state electron transfer this subject has been largely neglected until a few years ago.