The Design of Reagents for Photochemical and Thermal Multiple Electron Transfer Reactions

Most, if not all, electron transfer reactions involving more than one electron can be considered as a series of sequential one electron transfer steps when evaluated on an appropriate timescale. Once the critical activation barrier for the first electron transfer to occur has been surmounted, the ensuing electrons are generally transferred in rapid succession. A number of multiple electron, inorganic systems, particularly those containing platinum, are evaluated; and the underlying principles for the design of these systems are discussed. Both thermally and photochemically activated systems are considered. Additionally, new thermodynamic criteria are proposed for certain inner sphere electron transfer reactions.