Electron-transfer fluorescence quenching of aromatic hydrocarbons by europium and ytterbium ions in acetonitrile

To make the effects of molecular size on photoinduced electron-transfer (ET) reactions clear, the ET fluorescence quenching of aromatic hydrocarbons by trivalent lanthanide ions M3+ (europium ion Eu3+ and ytterbium ion Yb3+) and the following ET reactions such as the geminate and free radical recombination were studied in acetonitrile. The rate constant k(q) of fluorescence quenching, the yields of free radical (Phi(R)) and fluorescer triplet (Phi(T)) in fluorescence quenching, and the rate constant k(rec) of free radical recombination were measured. Upon analysis of the free energy dependence of k(q), Phi(R), Phi(T), and k(rec), it was found that the switchover of the fluorescence quenching mechanism occurs at Delta G(fet) = -1.4 to -1.6 eV: When Delta G(fet) < -1.6 eV, the fluorescence quenching by M3+ is induced by a long-distance ET yielding the geminate radical ion pairs. When Delta G(fet) > -1.4 eV, it is induced by an exciplex formation. The exciplex dissociates rapidly to yield either the fluorescer triplet or the geminate radical ion pairs. The large shift of switchover Delta G(fet) from -0.5 eV for aromatic quenchers to -1.4 to -1.6 eV for lanthanide ions is almost attributed to the difference in the molecular size of the quenchers. Furthermore, it was substantiated that the free energy dependence of ET rates for the geminate and free radical recombination is satisfactorily interpreted within the limits of the Marcus theory.