Electron transfer reactions are of great importance to nearly every subdiscipline of chemistry. The simple transfer of a single electron has been shown repeatedly to be a common activating mode for organic, inorganic, and biological molecules, and the very ubiquity of such reactions has guaranteed that their investigation would involve the most fundamental questions of modern chemistry. The fact that photoexcitation induces enhanced redox reactivity via electron transfer also provides a convenient method for experimentally testing theoretical predictions regarding structural and energetic effects. As can be seen from the very size of this work there is a great deal known about photoinduced electron transfer reactions and the editors have tried to capture the diversity and excitement inherent in this broad field. The reader will find contributions from theorists and experimentalists, from organic and inorganic chemists, from the perspective of the synthetic and mechanistic viewpoint. Some contributions are fundamental basic research, while others clearly show practical applications of these principles.These volumes are intended to serve a joint purpose: as a reference resource and an introductory overview to the diverse research accomplished via photoexcitation of electron donor-acceptor systems. The information is organized in four parts. The first deals with the theoretical and conceptual factors which influence electron transfer. The second covers experimental methodology and medium effects. The third and fourth deal with reactivity, with most organic transformation being addressed in Part C and most inorganic reactions covered in Part D. Each part thus provides an overview of typical reactions observed for these classes of compounds. Part D also provides examples of photoinduced electron transfer in current use in important applications. There is of course a significant interdependence between the four parts. Subject, chemical, and author citation indices appear at the end of each of Parts A, B and C, and comprehensive indices are included in Part D.

This article summarizes two major areas of research, electron transfer and organometallic photochemistry, addressed during the last dozen or so years. The article emphasizes aspects of the mechanisms of photochemical reactions of transition metal complexes in these two areas. Excited state electron transfer and photoreactions of organometallic complexes have been, and will be, major areas of research opportunity. Practical applications may come in the fields of energy conversion and catalysis. (Author).