Studies of electon transfer (ET) have enhanced our understanding of photosynthetic and photobiochemical systems in recent years, but much remains to be learnt. In particular, the connection between the arthitecture of the photosynthetic reaction center and its function needs to be investigated, Raman scattering studies are presented on model ET systems–covalently linked porphyrin‐methylviologen and porphyrin‐dibenzylviologen–in which the doner and acceptor are kept in a well‐defined geometry, and the conclusions that can be drawn are discussed. Copyright © 1994 Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim