Color‐Discriminating Retinal Configurations of Sensory Rhodopsin I by Photo‐Irradiation Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy

SRI (sensory rhodopsin I) can discriminate multiple colors for the attractant and repellent phototaxis. Studies aimed at revealing the color‐dependent mechanism show that SRI is a challenging system not only in photobiology but also in photochemistry. During the photoreaction of SRI, an M‐intermediate (attractant) transforms into a P‐intermediate (repellent) by absorbing blue light. Consequently, SRI then cycles back to the G‐state. The photoreactions were monitored with the ¹³C NMR signals of [20‐¹³C]retnal‐SrSRI using in situ photo‐irradiation solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. The M‐intermediate was trapped at ?40 °C by illumination at 520 nm. It was transformed into the P‐intermediate by subsequent illumination at 365 nm. These results reveal that the G‐state could be directly transformed to the P‐intermediate by illumination at 365 nm. Thus, the stationary trapped M‐ and P‐intermediates are responsible for positive and negative phototaxis, respectively.     

Sonolysis of organic liquid: effect of vapour pressure and evaporation rate

Various kinds of organic liquids, such as hydrocarbons, ethers, ketones and alcohols, were subjected to ultrasonic irradiation and the effects of vapour pressure and evaporation rate of the liquids on decomposition rates and the distribution of decomposition products were investigated. The main decomposition products from hydrocarbons were hydrogen, methane, ethylene and acetylene, and hydrogen, methane, ethylene, carbon monoxide and aldehydes from alcohols. The decomposition rates of organic liquids were generally faster than that of water, and the reaction would proceed via gas-phase chain reactions in the high temperature site by comparison of the product with pyrolysis data in the literature and by considering the results of DPPH experiments. In the relationship between decomposition rate and vapour pressure, different features were observed in alcohols and other liquids. The hydrocarbons most efficiently decomposed under conditions in which their vapour pressures ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 Torr. On the other hand, the most efficient vapour pressure for alcohol sonolysis was about 15 Torr. The deviations became smaller when the evaporation rate was employed instead of vapour pressure, and as the reactive index of sonolysis of organic liquids, evaporation rate may be a better probe than vapour pressure, which is often chosen as the index.     

Laser photolysis studies on intramolecular exciplex systems of benzophenone and N,N-dimethylaniline

Photoprimary processes of intramolecular exciplex systems of benzophenone and N,N-dimethylaniline were studied by means of laser spectroscopy. Electron transfer in acetonitrile and hydrogen abstraction in benzene occur quite rapidly almost independent of the number of methylene chain connecting both moieties, which indicates that a definite and restricted structure is not necessary for both processes.