Solid-State Electron Transfer: Mechanistic Elucidation of Mechanochemical Benzophenone Reduction

In this article, a paradigmatic electron-transfer mechanism is borrowed from a solution protocol and subjected to qualitative scrutiny under solid-state conditions, in an effort to determine what truly occurs in the absence of a solvent. The findings discussed here strongly support the hypothesis that an electron transfer mechanism is preserved in the solid-state, although control experiments involving radical scavenging and LAG conditions reveal a sensible shift in the way the same mechanism operates.