Photoinduced Electron Transfer on a Single α-Helical Polypeptide Chain

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00199a044

Electron transfer on an α-helical polypeptide carrying the sequence L-p-(dimethylamino)phenylalanine (dmaPhe)-L-alanine-L-1-pyrenylalanine (pyrAla) at the midpoint of an α-helical poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate) chain was studied.Conformational energy calculation for the side-chain orientations predicted that only one type of orientation is allowed for both the dmaPhe and the pyrAla units.The center-to-center (edge-to-edge) distance between the two chromophores was estimated to be 13.2 (9.4) Angstroem.The fluorescence spectrum showed no exciplex emission in thepolypeptide, in contrast to the strong exciplex observed for a model tripeptide having the same dmaPhe-Ala-pyrAla sequence.The rate of electron transfer was calculated from the decay times of pyrenyl fluorescence of the polypeptide in trimethyl phosphate and in tetrahydrofuran solutions.The k_et was on the order of 1E5 (s^-1).The activation enthalpy was 1.4 kcal mol^-1 in trimethyl phosphate and smaller than 1 kcal mol^-1 in less polar solvents near room temperature.It was even smaller at lower temperatures.The activation entropy was less than -25 eu, suggesting a nonadiabatic electron transfer.In contrast to the slow electron transfer in the polypeptide, the rate constant for the model tripeptide was on the order of 1E7-1E8 (s^-1) around room temperature, and the activation enthalpy was higher than that in the polypeptide case.