Synthesis and study of a bis-cyclodextrin-viologen-porphyrin self-assembled complex as a mimic of the photosynthetic apparatus

Abstract

Photosynthesis has long been studied as a clean, efficient means of energy production. The key steps in the photosynthetic process involve electron transfers between photoactive, electron rich centers to electron acceptors located nearby. The nature of these electron transfer reactions are studied because they help to determine the importance of such factors as donor-acceptor distance and orientation of the system. The field of molecular recognition can be uniquely helpful in these studies. We report the synthesis and study of a molecule that uses these pieces of information. The molecule we designed can be made with relative ease and according to CPK molecules leave the viologen close to a photoactive porphyrin when bound. Overall, we feel confident that a cyclodextrin dimer was formed.