Photoinduced structure transformations in dichromate-impregnated denatured collagen

X-ray structure analysis shows that irradiating gelatin films containing chromates causes a spiral-coil transition in the denatured collagen molecules. The concentration and type of the chromate have substantial effects, as do the film preparation conditions. The x-ray diffraction and ESR data indicate that chromium(V) compounds formed by photoreduction from chromium(VI) ones are mainly responsible for the conformation transition. In the absence of chromium compounds, light absorbed by the gelatin macromolecules results in macroradicals on account of the photolysis in the denatured protein chains. There is no phase transition.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 24, No, 2, pp. 247–251, March–April 1988.