EPFL scientists have shown how a solvent can interfere with
electron transfer by using unprecedented time resolution in ultrafast
fluorescence spectroscopy.
Electron transfer is a process by which an atom donates an
electron to another atom. It is the foundation of all chemical reactions, and
is a subject of intense research because of the implications it has for
chemistry and biology. When two molecules interact, electron transfer takes
place in a few quadrillionths (10-15) of a second, or femtoseconds (fsec),
meaning that studying this event requires very time-sensitive techniques like
ultrafast spectroscopy. However, the transfer itself is often influenced by the
solution in which the molecules are studied (e.g. water), and this must be
taken into account when such experiments are designed. In a recent Nature
Communications paper, EPFL scientists have visualized for the first time how
electron transfer takes place in one of the most common solvents, water.