The importance of the electrostatic interaction in condensed-phase photoinduced electron transfer

Abstract

The electrostatic interaction energy between two ions created by electron transfer between two neutral molecules can be much larger than estimated by the usual Coulomb term C=–e²/εr, because the space (r) between the charge centres in not filled with the solvent of static dielectric constant ε. When charge transfer occurs between molecules in contact the Coulomb term provides stabilization in > 1 eV even in highly polar solvents.