Marcus Theory of Electron Transfer

Discovered by: Rudolph A. Marcus, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1992.

What is it? Explain the rates of electron transfer reactions - the rate at which an electron can move or jump from one chemical species (called the electron donor) to another (called the electron acceptor).

Why is it important? Marcus theory is used to describe a number of important processes in chemistry and biology, including photosynthesis, corrosion, certain types of chemiluminescence, charge separation in some types of solar cells and more.