Title: through-space electron transfer
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - through-space electron transfer
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.T06369
Status: current

Definition
Electron transfer for which the relevant electronic interaction between the donor and acceptor sites is mediated either by direct orbital overlap or by superexchange interaction via intervening molecular entities not covalently bound to the donor or acceptor sites.

Related Terms
- Electron transfer: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/E02011
- superexchange interaction: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S06141
- through-bond electron transfer: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/T06367

Source
- PAC, 1996, 68, 2223. 'Glossary of terms used in photochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 2280 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122223)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/T06369/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/T06369/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/T06369/xml

Citation: Citation: 'through-space electron transfer' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.T06369
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-06-30T06:01:26+00:00