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Transient phenomena in the pulse radiolysis of retinyl polyenes. 4. Environmental effects on absorption maximum of retinal radical anion

Journal Article · · J. Phys. Chem.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/j100272a032· OSTI ID:5813787

The absorption-spectral and kinetic behaviors of radical ions of all-trans-retinal in various solvents have been studied by spectrophotometric pulse radiolysis at room temperature. Upon going from nonpolar and polar-nonprotic solvents to polar-protic ones (alcohols), large hyposochromic shifts occur in the absorption maximum (lambda/sub max/) of retinal radical anion. The anion absorption maxima in the alcohols correlate well with solvent dielectric constants. In a number of solvents, parallelism is noted between the energies corresponding to lambda/sub max/'s of retinal anion and of solvated electron (the latter at 77 K and room temperature). Transient phenomena associated with the radical anion (lambda/sub max/'s = 448-460 nm) and the retinyl alcohol radical (lambda/sub max/ = 405 nm) are observed in the course of the pulse radiolysis of retinal in several normal micelles (aqueous). The blue-shifted locations of the anion lambda/sub max/'s strongly suggest a polar-protic, alcohol-like nature of the micellar region where the polyenal resides. 35 references, 8 figures, 2 tables.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Notre Dame, IN
OSTI ID:
5813787
Journal Information:
J. Phys. Chem.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Phys. Chem.; (United States) Vol. 89:26; ISSN JPCHA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English