Outer Sphere Electron Transfer - Marcus Theory

Marcus Theory

The main theory that describes the rates of outer-sphere electron transfer was developed by Rudolph A. Marcus in the 1950s. A major aspect of Marcus theory is the dependence of the electron transfer rate on the thermodynamic driving force (difference in the redox potentials of the electron-exchanging sites). For most reactions, the rates increase with increased driving force. A second aspect is that the rate of outer-sphere electron-transfer depends inversely on the "reorganizational energy." Reorganization energy describes the changes in bond lengths and angles that are required for the oxidant and reductant to switch their oxidation states. This energy is assessed by measurements of the self-exchange rates (see below). Outer sphere electron transfer is the most common type of electron transfer, especially in biochemistry, where redox centers are separated by several (up to about 11) angstroms by intervening protein. In biochemistry, there are two main types of outer sphere ET: ET between two biological molecules or fixed distance electron transfer, in which the electron transfers within a single biomolecule (e.g., intraprotein).