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Contemporary continuum-based models of solvation in polar media are surveyed and assessed, with special focus on non-equilibrium solvation. A new hybrid approach combining molecular-level treatment of inertial solvent response, and inclusion of inertialess solvent response at the continuum level, is presented and illustrated in terms of calculated equilibrium solvation free energies for small molecular ions and reorganization free energies for model dumbbell systems.

Long-range electronic coupling of local donor and acceptor sites is formulated in the context of thermal and optical electron transfer and then illustrated with examples based on electronic structure calculations. The relationship of the calculated results to available experimental kinetic and optical data is discussed in detail. The influence of nuclear modes on the magnitude of the coupling (i.e., departures from the Condon approximation) is investigated in terms of both discrete molecular modes and solvent modes, and a general expression is presented for the modulation of the superexchange tunneling gap by motion along the electron transfer reaction coordinate.