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Chlorophyll photochemistry in condensed media: triplet state quenching and electron transfer to quinone in cellulose acetate films

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5938590· OSTI ID:5938590
Chlorophyll a was incorporated into cellulose acetate films and the triplet decay and electron transfer to p-benzoquinone in aqueous solution was studied using laser flash photolysis and ESR. The triplet was found to decay by first order kinetics with the same rate constant regardless of chlorophyll concentration, but the yield was concentration dependent. This is due to quenching at the ground and/or singlet state levels. In the presence of quinone, the triplet is quenched and, when the quinone is in an aqueous solution in contact with the film, chlorophyll cation radical (C./sup +/) as well as the semiquinone anion radical (Q./sup -/) can be observed. The C./sup +/ decays by second order kinetics with a rate constant of 1.5 x 10/sup 6/ M/sup -1/ sec/sup -1/. Although triplet conversion to radicals is slightly lower in the films as compared to homogeneous solutions (approx. 3 times), the lifetimes of the radicals are greatly increased (approx. 10/sup 3/ times).
Research Organization:
Arizona Univ., Tucson (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
ER-78-S-02-4927
OSTI ID:
5938590
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/04927-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English