The transfer of an electron from a donor to an acceptor is the fundamental step in a wide range of chemical and biological processes. As a result, electron-transfer reactions have been the focus of numerous theoretical and experimental efforts aimed at understanding the kinetics and mechanism of the transfer event. Liquid solvents are an important medium for electron-transfer processes. The influences of the distance dependence, diffusion, the radial distribution function, and the hydrodynamic effect have been incorporated into the theory of electron transfer in solution, as well as into the theory of electron transfer between donors and acceptors in the head group regions of micelles. The development of new laser system with a pulse duration of tens of femtoseconds, with tunable wavelength allowed us to study these processes on a considerably shorter time scale than previous studies.

This allowed us to observe not only the diffusion controlled but also the kinetics of electron transfer for donor/acceptor pairs that are in close proximity. In one set of experiments we have studied the kinetics of electron transfer in electron accepting molecule (rhodamine 3B) dissolved in electron donating solvent (N,N-dimethylaniline). The data for the forward electron transfer and geminate recombination are approximated by the statistical theory of the electron transfer. Optical anisotropy observed in the experiment demonstrates the orientation dependence of the electron transfer rate. In further experiments we investigated the electron transfer in non-hydrogen bonding liquids of increasing viscosity. The effective value of the donor/acceptor electronic coupling was found to decrease with viscosity. Electron transfer experiments were also carried out on the surface of micelles. The systems studied are the hole donor octadecyl-rhodamine B (ODRB) and the hole acceptor N,N-dimethyl-aniline (DMA) in micelles made of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB). It was found that the effective coupling is reduced compared to donor/acceptor pairs dissolved in simple liquids.

In the 2^nd half of thesis we have addressed the question of the dynamics of phase transitions. We have demonstrated the ability to use the fluorescent excitation-transfer technique to study the demixing of liquids specifically, kinetics of demixing water and 2,6-dimethylpyridine. These two liquids possess a low critical temperature point, which allowed us to use a temperature jump from a laser pulse to initiate the process of phase separation. It was found that Coumarin480 laser dye and HPTS (8-Hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid) fluorescent dye have significantly different solubilities in the components of the mixture. These dyes undergo excitation transfer from Coumarin480 to HPTS in the uniform state, but not in the phase-separated state. A system with a temperature jump pump and an excitation transfer probe measured the time scale of the initial step of the phase separation.