An electron acceptor is a chemical entity that accepts

electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...

s transferred to it from another compound. Electron acceptors are oxidizing agents. The electron accepting power of an electron acceptor is measured by its redox potential. In the simplest case, electron acceptors are reduced by one electron. The process can alter the structure of the acceptor substantially. When the added electron is highly delocalized, the structural consequences of the reduction can be subtle. The central C-C distance in the electron acceptor tetracyanoethylene elongates from 135 to 143 pm upon acceptance of an electron. In the formation of some donor-acceptor complexes, less than one electron is transferred. TTF-TCNQ is a charge transfer complex.

Biology

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

, a ''terminal electron acceptor'' often refers to either the last compound to receive an electron in an

electron transport chain An electron transport chain (ETC) is a series of protein complexes and other molecules which transfer electrons from electron donors to electron acceptors via redox reactions (both reduction and oxidation occurring simultaneously) and couples th ...

, such as oxygen during

cellular respiration Cellular respiration is the process of oxidizing biological fuels using an inorganic electron acceptor, such as oxygen, to drive production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which stores chemical energy in a biologically accessible form. Cell ...

, or the last cofactor to receive an electron within the electron transfer domain of a reaction center during

photosynthesis Photosynthesis ( ) is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their metabo ...

. All organisms obtain energy by transferring electrons from an electron donor to an electron acceptor. One practical illustration of the role of electron acceptors in biology is the high

toxicity Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacteria, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect o ...

of the paraquat. The activity of this broad spectrum

herbicide Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page f ...

results from the electron acceptor property of N,N'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium.

Materials science

In some

solar cell A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell (PV cell), is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect.

s, the photocurrent entails transfer of electrons from a donor to an electron acceptor.

References

External links

Electron acceptor definition at United States Geological Survey website

{{Authority control Electrochemical concepts

Biology

Materials science

See also

References

External links