The reorganization energy of electron transfer in nonpolar solvents: Molecular level treatment of the solvent
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, AIST Central 5, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565 (Japan)
The intermolecular electron transfer in a solute pair consisting of pyrene and dimethylaniline is investigated in a nonpolar solvent, n-hexane. The earlier elaborated approach [M. Tachiya, J. Phys Chem. 97, 5911 (1993)] is used; this method provides a physically relevant background for separating inertial and inertialess polarization responses for both nonpolarizable and polarizable molecular level simulations. The molecular-dynamics technique was implemented for obtaining the equilibrium ensemble of solvent configurations. The nonpolar solvent, n-hexane, was treated in terms of OPLS-AA parametrization. Solute Lennard-Jones parameters were taken from the same parametrization. Solute charge distributions of the initial and final states were determined using ab initio level [HF/6-31G(d,p)] quantum-chemical calculations. Configuration analysis was performed explicitly taking into account the anisotropic polarizability of n-hexane. It is shown that the Gaussian law well describes calculated distribution functions of the solvent coordinate, therefore, the rate constant of the ET reaction can be characterized by the reorganization energy. Evaluated values of the reorganization energies are in a range of 0.03-0.11 eV and significant contribution (more then 40% of magnitude) comes from anisotropic polarizability. Investigation of the reorganization energy {lambda} dependence on the solute pair separation distance d revealed unexpected behavior. The dependence has a very sharp peak at the distance d=7 A where solvent molecules are able to penetrate into the intermediate space between the solute pair. The reason for such behavior is clarified. This new effect has a purely molecular origin and cannot be described within conventional continuum solvent models.
- OSTI ID:
- 20723270
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 123, Issue 22; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2131054; (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-9606
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
ANISOTROPY
CHARGE DISTRIBUTION
CHARGE EXCHANGE
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
ELECTRON TRANSFER
HARTREE-FOCK METHOD
HEXANE
LENNARD-JONES POTENTIAL
MILLI EV RANGE
MOLECULAR DYNAMICS METHOD
POLARIZABILITY
PYRENE
REACTION KINETICS
SIMULATION
SOLUTES
SOLVENTS