Enhanced photoinduced electron-transfer reduction of Li(+)@C60 in comparison with C60

Kinetics of photoinduced electron transfer from a series of electron donors to the triplet excited state of lithium ion-encapsulated C60 (Li(+)@C60) was investigated in comparison with the corresponding kinetics of the photoinduced electron transfer to the triplet excited state of pristine C60. Femtosecond laser flash photolysis measurements of Li(+)@C60 revealed that singlet excited state of Li(+)@C60 (λmax = 960 nm) underwent intersystem crossing to the triplet excited state [(3)(Li(+)@C60)*: λmax = 750 nm] with a rate constant of 8.9 × 10(8) s(-1) in deaerated benzonitrile (PhCN). The lifetime of (3)(Li(+)@C60)* was determined by nanosecond laser flash photolysis measurements to be 48 μs, which is comparable to that of C60. Efficient photoinduced electron transfer from a series of electron donors to (3)(Li(+)@C60)* occurred to produce the radical cations and Li(+)@C60(•-). The rate constants of photoinduced electron transfer of Li(+)@C60(•-) are significantly larger than those of C60 when the rate constants are less than the diffusion-limited value in PhCN. The enhanced reactivity of (3)(Li(+)@C60)* as compared with (3)C60* results from the much higher one-electron reduction potential of Li(+)@C60 (0.14 V vs SCE) than that of C60 (-0.43 V vs SCE). The rate constants of photoinduced electron transfer reactions of Li(+)@C60 and C60 were evaluated in light of the Marcus theory of electron transfer to determine the reorganization energies of electron transfer. The reorganization energy of electron transfer of Li(+)@C60 was determined from the driving force dependence of electron transfer rate to be 1.01 eV, which is by 0.28 eV larger than that of C60 (0.73 eV), probably because of the change in electrostatic interaction of encapsulated Li(+) upon electron transfer in PhCN.