An unusual pathway of excitation energy deactivation in carotenoids: Singlet-to-triplet conversion on an ultrafast timescale in a photosynthetic antenna

Gradinaru, C., Kennis, J., Papagiannakis, E., van Stokkum, I., Cogdell, R. , Fleming, G., Niederman, R. and van Grondelle, R. (2001) An unusual pathway of excitation energy deactivation in carotenoids: Singlet-to-triplet conversion on an ultrafast timescale in a photosynthetic antenna. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98(5), pp. 2364-2369. (doi: 10.1073/pnas.051501298)

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Abstract

Carotenoids are important biomolecules that are ubiquitous in nature and find widespread application in medicine. In photosynthesis, they have a large role in light harvesting (LH) and photoprotection. They exert their LH function by donating their excited singlet state to nearby (bacterio)chlorophyll molecules. In photosynthetic bacteria, the efficiency of this energy transfer process can be as low as 30%. Here, we present evidence that an unusual pathway of excited state relaxation in carotenoids underlies this poor LH function, by which carotenoid triplet states are generated directly from carotenoid singlet states. This pathway, operative on a femtosecond and picosecond timescale, involves an intermediate state, which we identify as a new, hitherto uncharacterized carotenoid singlet excited state. In LH complex-bound carotenoids, this state is the precursor on the reaction pathway to the triplet state, whereas in extracted carotenoids in solution, this state returns to the singlet ground state without forming any triplets. We discuss the possible identity of this excited state and argue that fission of the singlet state into a pair of triplet states on individual carotenoid molecules constitutes the mechanism by which the triplets are generated. This is, to our knowledge, the first ever direct observation of a singlet-to-triplet conversion process on an ultrafast timescale in a photosynthetic antenna.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Cogdell, Professor Richard
Authors: Gradinaru, C., Kennis, J., Papagiannakis, E., van Stokkum, I., Cogdell, R., Fleming, G., Niederman, R., and van Grondelle, R.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Molecular Biosciences
Journal Name:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publisher:National Academy of Sciences
ISSN:0027-8424
ISSN (Online):1091-6490

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