title: Low temperature polarized absorption microspectroscopy of single crystals of the reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides wild type strain 2.4.1.
abstract: The absorbance and polarized absorbance spectra of single crystals of the reaction center complex isolated from Rhodobacter sphaeroides wild type strain 2.4.1 have been measured at 85 K. The crystals of the complex were obtained by the vapor diffusion technique. The spectroscopic experiments on the crystals were performed using an optical microspectrometer featuring a custom-built, liquid N2-flowing cold stage, the details of which are presented herein. These data demonstrate the feasibility of conducting optical spectroscopic experiments at cryogenic temperatures on single crystals of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269-3060.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Aldema
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Violette
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Parot
mesh_terms: D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls / Q000737:chemistry; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization; D005615:Freezing; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D010674:Pheophytins / Q000737:chemistry; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012242:Rhodobacter sphaeroides / Q000378:metabolism*; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D010674:Pheophytins; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; C006678:bacteriopheophytin; D002338:Carotenoids