Measuring Electron-Transfer Reaction Kinetics in Single Electrochemiluminescence Events at an Ultramicroelectrode for the Ru(bpy) 3 2+ /Tri- n- propylamine Coreactant System
Abstract
Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) provides a unique analytical platform for probing electron-transfer kinetics via time-resolved photon detection. In coreactant ECL systems, however, quantitative determination of individual homogeneous rate constants has remained challenging due to the simultaneous operation of multiple reaction pathways and limited access to fast dynamics. Herein, we report time-resolved ECL methodologies that enable experimental determination of charge-transfer rate constants governing all three excited-state generation mechanisms in the Ru(bpy) 3 2+ /tri- n -propylamine (TPrA) coreactant system. By combining ultramicroelectrode-based potential pulsing, alongside nanosecond-resolved photon counting with two-dimensional finite-element simulations, we selectively suppress or activate coreactant pathways and extract electron-transfer rate constants from fast ECL transients in single events. The rapid regime (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
Metalloenzymes and iron-sulfur proteins
Radical Photochemical Reactions
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Analytical Chemistry
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Volume
- 98
- Issue
- 17
- Pages
- 12811–12819
- Publication date
- 20 April 2026
- Language
- EN