The objectives of our research are to:
Manuel Mosquera González, M. Carmen Ríos Rodríguez, Flor Rodríguez Prieto
In a recent work (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2018) we were able to show that water (or alcohol) dimers play a fundamental role in the fluorescence quenching of N-methylquinolinium. Our results are consistent with the existence of a concerted photoinduced proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) involving an intermediate complex of the excited quinolinium with a H-bonded molecular pair of the hydroxy compounds. In these pairs, a water or alcohol molecule is able to donate an electron to the photoexcited quinolinium cation and a proton to the second H-bonded hydroxy molecule, showing an enhanced reducing power in comparison with the isolated molecule.
Manuel Mosquera González, M. Carmen Ríos Rodríguez, Flor Rodríguez Prieto
Research on the dynamics and mechanism of proton transfer processes is driven by basic questions in the area of acid-base chemistry and by puzzling mechanistic questions in the areas of proton transport across biological membranes or across the proton-exchange membranes of fuel cells, considered as the main "green" alternatives to current combustion engines.
The objective of our research is to progress on the knowledge about the medium influence on the dynamics of proton-transfer reactions with the aim of improving both the comprehension of the reaction in condensed media and the understanding of the structure and dynamics of the medium in which the reaction takes place and of the nature of the interactions with the reacting species.
