Book Description

Long range photoinduced electron transfer between electron donor and acceptor groups is of considerable current interest in terms of strategies for artificial photosynthesis and studies regarding the redox properties of proteins. As part of an extensive study of long range electron transfer involving biopolymers, we have carried out this year investigations of the assembly of electron transfer agents in a system of model short peptides. Also studied is a polyelectrolyte that can adopt a helical conformation when electrostatically complexed with organic dye counter-ions. The principal interest in these systems has to do with the well ordered secondary structures adopted by peptide polymers, and the capabilities for synthetic modification of peptide side chains and end groups with chromophores or electroactive substituents. The present report gives a brief account of the following elements of work related to photochemical electron transfer themes: (1) the synthesis and photochemical characterization of chromophore-bound peptides and amino acid model compounds based on the amino acids, tryptophan and the spacer residue, alanine (Ala); (2) the study of binding of the cationic organic dye to a peptide electrolyte, for which cooperative dye loading and helix formation is important; and (3) completion of the synthesis of a new series of acridinium chromophores that have rod-like'' arrangements of inked aryl rings for assembly of electron donor-acceptor systems that will exhibit especially long lived charge separation.