Solvent-mediated photoinduced electron transfer in a pyridinium ionic liquid

The dynamics of electron transfer reactions in butyl pyridinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (BuPyr-NTf2) and other solvents have been explored using laser flash photolysis. In these experiments, benzophenone (BP), duroquinone (DQ), and 9-cyanoanthracene (9CA) were used as excited-state acceptors, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane and hexamethylbenzene were used as ground-state donors, and methyl viologen (MV2+) was used as a probe molecule. Analysis of kinetic and spectroscopic data from these experiments shows that electron transfer from photoreduced acceptors to the probe occurs via one or more solvent ions in cases where the acceptor anion radical has a reduction potential that is more negative than the solvent ions (BP center dot and 9CA center dot in BuPyr-NTf2). Mediated electron transfer was demonstrated to significantly enhance quantum efficiencies of photoinduced electron transfer in cases where back electron transfer would otherwise predominate.