Electron transfer

Electron transfer (ET) occurs when an electron relocates from an atom or molecule to another such chemical entity. ET is a mechanistic description of a redox reaction, wherein the oxidation state of reactant and product changes. Electron transfer is ionic bonding. Electron transfer (ET) occurs when an electron relocates from an atom or molecule to another such chemical entity. ET is a mechanistic description of a redox reaction, wherein the oxidation state of reactant and product changes. Electron transfer is ionic bonding. Numerous biological processes involve ET reactions. These processes include oxygen binding, photosynthesis, respiration, and detoxification. Additionally, the process of energy transfer can be formalized as a two-electron exchange (two concurrent ET events in opposite directions) in case of small distances between the transferring molecules. ET reactions commonly involve transition metal complexes, but there are now many examples of ET in organic chemistry.