Application of time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy to intramolecular electron transfer

Time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy has been applied for the first time to the study of intramolecular electron transfer in a chromophore-quencher complex, based on a metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excited state. These measurements allow for (1) the identification of redox sites that are reached following excitation and (2) the inferring of structural information in short-lived intermediates. This technique is a more sensitive probe than transient absorption as shown by its application to the redox-separated complex shown below involving a pyridinium acceptor and a phenothiazine donor.