In this project supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division and the Molecular Biophysics Program of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Mathies will continue time resolved Raman studies of biomolecules. Specifically he proposes (I) resonance Raman spectroscopic studies of the structure and dynamics of the 'solvated electron'; (II) time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopic studies of chromophore dynamics in rhodopsin, bacteriorhodopsin and phytochrome using femtosecond Raman gain spectroscopy (FRGS); and (III) time resolved (ns, ps) UV resonance Raman spectroscopic studies of protein dynamics in rhodopsin, bacteriorhodopsin and phytochrome by monitoring the Trp and Try residues after photolysis.
These investigations probe the basics of the interaction between light and photo-biologically active materials and will contribute to our understanding of the fundamental processes which take place in animate and inanimate living systems. The overall goal of this research is to find general principles about how chemical reactions occur in condensed phase photochemical systems at room temperature.
