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The new theory of electron transfer: application to the photosynthetic reaction centre

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Abstract

Based on recent developments in the theory of electron transfer, we prove that a non-polar environment is needed to maintain the high efficiency and chemical integrity of the photosynthetic reaction centre. We also determine the Gibbs energy diagram for the primary act of charge separation in photosynthesis, and propose an equivalent circuit that captures the principal features of the entire acceptor side of the electron transport chain in photosystem II.

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Acknowledgment

I should like to thank Christian Amatore (École Normale Supérieure, Paris) for drawing the problem of charge transfer in PSII to my attention, and Frank Müh (Freie Universität, Berlin) and Athina Zouni (Technische Universität, Berlin) for their generous help in interpreting the X-ray crystal structures of PSII.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Ashby Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK

    Stephen Fletcher

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  1. Stephen Fletcher
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Correspondence to Stephen Fletcher.

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Fletcher, S. The new theory of electron transfer: application to the photosynthetic reaction centre. J Solid State Electrochem 12, 1511–1520 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-008-0609-0

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