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Primary photochemistry of reaction centers from the photosynthetic purple bacteria

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Abstract

Photosynthetic organisms transform the energy of sunlight into chemical potential in a specialized membrane-bound pigment-protein complex called the reaction center. Following light activation, the reaction center produces a charge-separated state consisting of an oxidized electron donor molecule and a reduced electron acceptor molecule. This primary photochemical process, which occurs via a series of rapid electron transfer steps, is complete within a nanosecond of photon absorption. Recent structural data on reaction centers of photosynthetic bacteria, combined with results from a large variety of photochemical measurements have expanded our understanding of how efficient charge separation occurs in the reaction center, and have changed many of the outstanding questions.

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Abbreviations

BChl:

bacteriochlorophyll

P:

a dimer of BChl molecules

BPh:

bacteriopheophytin

QA and QB :

quinone molecules

L, M and H:

light, medium and heavy polypeptides of the reaction center

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Washington University, 63130, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Christine Kirmaier & Dewey Holten

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Kirmaier, C., Holten, D. Primary photochemistry of reaction centers from the photosynthetic purple bacteria. Photosynth Res 13, 225–260 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029401

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