Limitations of Linear Dichroism Spectroscopy for Elucidating Structural Issues of Light-Harvesting Aggregates in Chlorosomes

Linear dichroism (LD) spectroscopy is a widely used technique for studying the mutual orientation of the transition-dipole moments of the electronically excited states of molecular aggregates. Often the method is applied to aggregates where detailed information about the geometrical arrangement of the monomers is lacking. However, for complex molecular assemblies where the monomers are assembled hierarchically in tiers of supramolecular structural elements, the method cannot extract well-founded information about the monomer arrangement. Here we discuss this difficulty on the example of chlorosomes, which are the light-harvesting aggregates of photosynthetic green-(non) sulfur bacteria. Chlorosomes consist of hundreds of thousands of bacteriochlorophyll molecules that self-assemble into secondary structural elements of curved lamellar or cylindrical morphology. We exploit data from polarization-resolved fluorescence-excitation spectroscopy performed on single chlorosomes for reconstructing the corresponding LD spectra. This reveals that LD spectroscopy is not suited for benchmarking structural models in particular for complex hierarchically organized molecular supramolecular assemblies.     

Induced Circular Dichroism and Magnetic Circular Dichroism Spectra of Maleimide and Related Molecules

The induced circular dichroism (ICD) spectra of the inclusion complexes of maleimide, phthalimide, and naphthalene‐2,3‐dicarboximide with β‐ or γ‐cyclodextrin (CDx) have been measured. The structure of the CDx inclusion complexes are interpreted by the signs and shapes of ICD spectra compared with the results of PPP calculations. In maleimide and naphthalene‐2,3‐dicarboximide, the ICD spectra of the β‐CDx inclusion complex are very similar to those of the γ‐CDx inclusion complex in spite of the differences in dimensions between the cavity of β‐CDx and that of γ‐CDx. In phthalimide, the ICD spectra of the β‐CDx inclusion complex are very different from those of the γ‐CDx inclusion complex. The split‐type ICD bands at 220–235 nm show that the dimer of phthalimide is formed in the presence of β‐CDx.     

Induced Helical Chirality of Perylenebisimide Aggregates Allows for Enantiopurity Determination and Differentiation of α‐Hydroxy Carboxylates by Using Circular Dichroism

We have developed a working strategy for accurate enantiomeric excess (ee) determination based on induced helical aggregation of achiral perylenebisimide (PBI) dyes. PBI dyes functionalized with boronic acid moieties were shown to be effective chirality sensors for α‐hydroxy carboxylates. Seven α‐hydroxy carboxylates tested showed strong induced Cotton effects in the perylene absorption region around λ=500 nm, which were utilized for enantiomeric excess determination and chemo‐discrimination of the analytes, with an average absolute error of 2 % in ee determination and 100 % correctness in analyte classification. Responses in the absorption spectra, which arise from the guest‐enhanced aggregation, allow the determination of the sample concentration, thus enabling analysis of samples of unknown concentration and ee. The simplicity of the strategy, the ease of sample preparation, and the accuracy demonstrated, can potentially facilitate screening procedures in asymmetric synthesis.     

Magnetic Circular Dichroism and Induced Circular Dichroism Spectra of N‐Bromophthalimide

The magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), induced circular dichroism (ICD) spectra, and the absorption spectra of N‐bromophthalimide have been measured. The ICD spectrum of the β‐cyclodextrin complex with N‐bromophthalimide is also reported. The absorption bands of N‐bromophthalimide are assigned.     

Conformation and Circular Dichroism of β,β-Carotene Derivatives with Nitrogen-, Sulfur-, and Selenium-Containing Substituents

The CD spectra of several 3-substituted azido-, amino-, thio-, phenylseleno- and (phosphonoseleno)-β,β-carotene derivatives with one or two stereogenic centers are discussed with respect to conformational changes of the cyclohexene end group. N- and S-Substituents (N₃, NH₂, SH) have no influence on the conformer equilibrium compared to O-substituents, whereas Se-substituents (SePh, SePO(OC₃H₇)₂) slightly destabilize the preferred conformer of the β-end group.     

Circular Dichroism Study of the Inclusion-Dissociation Behavior of Complexes between a Molecular Nanotube and Azobenzene Substituted Linear Polymers

We have investigated the inclusion properties of molecular nanotubes composed ofcrosslinked -cyclodextrin. Induced circular dichroism was used to probe theformation and dissociation of complexes between the nanotubes and azobenzenemodified linear polymers. The polymer was poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), either withor without a hydrophobic alkyl chain.It was found that the inclusion complex betweenthe nanotubes and polymers formed at room temperature, and that the polymers dissociated from the nanotubes with increasing temperature. Further, the polymer with hydrophobic alkyl chain was bound inside the nanotube more strongly and dissociated more abruptly with increasing temperature than its hydrophilic counterpart as expected theoretically.     

脱羰青蒿素和青蒿素的圆二色谱

含有过氧和内酯基团的青蒿素1是一个结构独特的倍半萜。它的圆二色谱也较特殊,在258nm 和228nm 处分别显示一极大值和一极小值。对此梁晓天提出258nm 处的极大值是一因转折而引起的假象。最近我们以光化学氧化反应高产率地制备了脱羰青蒿素2,     

Observation of Photoelectron Circular Dichroism Using a Nanosecond Laser

Photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) is a fascinating phenomenon both from a fundamental science aspect but also due to its emerging role as a highly sensitive analytic tool for chiral recognition in the gas phase. PECD has been studied with single-photon as well as multi-photon ionization. The latter has been investigated in the short pulse limit with femtosecond laser pulses, where ionization can be thought of as an instantaneous process. In this contribution, we demonstrate that multi-photon PECD still can be observed when using an ultra-violet nanosecond pulse to ionize chiral showcase fenchone molecules. Compared to femtosecond ionization, the magnitude of PECD is similar, but the lifetime of intermediate molecular states imprints itself in the photoelectron spectra. Being able to use an industrial nanosecond laser to investigate PECD furthermore reduces the technical requirements to apply PECD in analytical chemistry.     

Conformational Sensitivity in Photoelectron Circular Dichroism of 3‐Methylcyclopentanone

A study of (R)‐3‐methylcyclopentanone [(R)‐3‐MCP] by photoelectron spectroscopy and photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) is presented. The synchrotron radiation gas‐phase photoelectron spectra of (R)‐3‐MCP were measured and are discussed on the basis of different theoretical methodologies. The experimental dichroism of (R)‐3‐MCP for selected deconvoluted valence states and for the carbonyl carbon 1s core state are reported and reproduced well by calculated dispersions generated by considering the contributions of two different conformers. The theoretical dichroic parameters are calculated by employing a multicentre basis set of B‐spline functions and a Kohn–Sham Hamiltonian. Temperature‐dependent PECD studies of the HOMO state and the carbonyl carbon 1s core level allowed the separation of the contributions of each conformer by photoelectron dichroism. This new approach clearly shows how the PECD methodology is sensitive to conformational and structural changes of unoriented (R)‐3‐MCP in the gas phase, opening up new perspectives in the characterisation of chiral molecular systems.     

Matrix Isolation‐Vibrational Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy of 3‐Butyn‐2‐ol and its Binary Aggregates

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy has a unique specificity to chirality and is highly sensitive to the conformational equilibria of chiral molecules. On the other hand, the matrix‐isolation (MI) technique allows substantial control over sample compositions, such as the sample(s)/matrix ratio and the ratio among different samples, and yields spectra with very narrow bandwidths. We combined VCD spectroscopy with the MI technique to record MI‐VCD and MI‐vibrational absorption spectra of 3‐butyn‐2‐ol at different MI temperatures, which allowed us to investigate the conformational distributions of its monomeric and binary species. Good mirror‐imaged MI‐VCD spectra of opposite enantiomers were achieved. The related conformational searches were performed for the monomer and the binary aggregate and their vibrational absorption and VCD spectra were simulated. The well‐resolved experimental MI‐VCD bands provide the essential mean to assign the associated vibrational absorption spectral features correctly to a particular conformation in case of closely spaced bands. By varying the matrix temperature, we show that one can follow the self‐aggregation process of 3‐butyn‐2‐ol and confidently correlate the MI‐VCD spectral features with those obtained for a 0.1 M CCl₄ solution and as a neat liquid at room temperature. Comparison of the aforementioned experimental VCD spectra shows conclusively that there is a substantial contribution from the 3‐butyn‐2‐ol aggregate even at 0.1 M concentration. This spectroscopic combination will be powerful for studying self‐aggregation of chiral molecules, and chirality transfer from a chiral molecule to an interacting achiral molecule and in electron donor–acceptor chiral complexes.     

Near-Ultraviolet Circular Dichroism and Two-Dimensional Spectroscopy of Polypeptides

A fully quantitative theory of the relationship between protein conformation and optical spectroscopy would facilitate deeper insights into biophysical and simulation studies of protein dynamics and folding. In contrast to intense bands in the far-ultraviolet, near-UV bands are much weaker and have been challenging to compute theoretically. We report some advances in the accuracy of calculations in the near-UV, which were realised through the consideration of the vibrational structure of the electronic transitions of aromatic side chains.     

Magnetic Circular Dichroism and Electronic Spectra of Tropothione

The magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and electronic absorption spectra of tropothione have been measured. The circular-dichroism (CD) spectrum of the β-cyclodextrin complex with tropothione is also reported. The absorption bands of tropothione are assigned.     

Plasmonic Circular Dichroism in Chiral Gold Nanowire Dimers

We report a computational study at the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) level of the chiro-optical spectra of chiral gold nanowires coupled in dimers. Our goal is to explore whether it is possible to overcome destructive interference in single nanowires that damp chiral response in these systems and to achieve intense plasmonic circular dichroism (CD) through a coupling between the nanostructures. We predict a huge enhancement of circular dichroism at the plasmon resonance when two chiral nanowires are intimately coupled in an achiral relative arrangement. Such an effect is even more pronounced when two chiral nanowires are coupled in a chiral relative arrangement. Individual component maps of rotator strength, partial contributions according to the magnetic dipole component, and induced densities allow us to fully rationalize these findings, thus opening the way to the field of plasmonic CD and its rational design.     

Investigation of the Interactions of β‐Peptides with DNA Duplexes by Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy

The interaction of β‐peptides with the DNA duplexes of dA₂₀dT₂₀ and a GCN4‐binding CRE sequence was examined. To gauge the factors that govern these interactions, two β‐pentadecapeptides, 1 and 2 , a β‐dodecapeptide, 3 , three β‐decapeptides, 4 – 6 , three β‐heptapeptides, 7 – 9 , and β‐octaarginine 10 were designed and synthesized. The β‐peptides were conceived to adopt a β‐peptide 3₁₄ helix, in which the side chains at position i and i + 3 are aligned vertically along one side of the helix. The side chains of Lys, Asn, and Arg were positioned such that potential H‐bonding sites were created for a helical conformation to interact with the base pairs of DNA. CD Analysis showed that β‐peptides 1, 2 , and 10 interacted with dA₂₀dT₂₀. In addition, β‐peptides 1 and 2 showed significant interaction with a DNA‐duplex 20mer containing the ATF/CREB recognition sequence for the regulatory protein GCN4. It is impossible, at this stage of the investigation, to make a safe proposal about the actual nature of the interaction of the structures(s) of the complexes, the formation of which is suggested by the CD spectra reported herein.     

同步荧光分析法同时测定叶绿素a和叶绿素b

众所周知,叶绿素a和叶绿素b(分别用Chla和Chlb表示)在绿色植物的光合作用中起着极重要的作用。它们的测定通常用于不同波长处测量吸光度或在不同激发-发射波长下测量荧光强度,而后解联立方程的光度法。