[[The]] tuning of electron and proton-coupled electron transfer reactions of solar water oxidation : pulsed magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of Photosystem II
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Authors
Coates, Christopher S.
Issue Date
2013-12
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Chemistry
Alternative Title
Abstract
In the photosynthetic reaction centers, Photosystem II (PSII) and Photosystem I (PSI), specific cofactors allow for the highly efficient electron and proton transfer through these proteins. While high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of both PSII and PSI have been published recently, there is limited information on the electronic structure of these charge-transfer cofactors. We have applied the magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to the analysis of electron transport cofactors of photosynthetic reaction centers. The electronic and molecular structure of photosynthetic electron transport cofactors have been probed in two distinct effects 1) internal effects on structure through cofactor functional group substitution, and 2) external effects on structure through interaction with cofactor environment (electrostatics, π-stacking, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobicity). A detailed description of the tuning of photosynthetic electron transport cofactors by their protein environments will help facilitate the design of more efficient, bio-inspired solar energy capture systems.
Description
December 2013
School of Science
School of Science
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY