Effect of the molecular shapes of the donor and the acceptor on electron transfer rates

Electron transfer reactions between a disk-shaped donor and acceptor are theoretically studied. The reorganization energy and the first-order and the second-order rate constants are calculated and compared with those for the case of a spherical donor and acceptor. The energy gap dependence of the second-order rate constant obtained for the disk-shaped donor and acceptor is compared with the experimental result of Rehm and Weller. The reorganization energy and the first-order rate constant are also calculated for the case where a donor and an acceptor are connected through a spacer.