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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jul 19.
Published in final edited form as: Chem Phys. 2010 Jul 19;373(1-2):80–89. doi: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2010.01.019

Table 2.

Energies and lifetimes of the S1 (21Ag −) excited states of geometric isomers of xanthophylls and β-carotene.

Carotenoi
d		 τ1a
(ps)		 S1 (21Ag−)
energy (cm−1)b 		Solvent T
(K)		 Ref.
all-trans-β-carotene
14.4 ± 0.8 13,900 ± 40 2-MTHF 77 this work
9.2 – 9.5 n.d.c pyridine RT [40]
7.9 – 10.0 n.d. 3-methyl-
pentane		 RT [79]
12.4 n.d. n-hexane RT [71]
8.9 – 9.7 n.d. n-hexane RT [47]
9.9 n.d. n-hexane RT [80]
8.2 – 9.1 n.d. n-hexane
benzene		 RT [81]
14,500d n-hexane 170 [82]
14,200 ± 500d toluene
CS2 		RT [70]
central-cis-β-carotene
11.0 ± 0.5 14,100 ± 30 2-MTHF 77 this work
8.4 – 8.6 n.d. n-hexane RT [47]
14.0 ± 0.5 n.d. n-hexane RT [71]
all-trans-zeaxanthin
14.8 ± 1.0 13,950 ± 30 2-MTHF 77 this work
9.1 – 9.2 14,030 ± 90 methanol RT [61]
11 13,850 ± 300 LHCII RT [64]
14.5 ± 0.1 n.d. EPA 77 [83]
10.2 ± 0.1 n.d. pyridine RT [40]
9.0 n.d. n-hexane RT [84]
9.0 – 9.6 n.d n-hexane
methanol		 RT [56]
9.0 – 9.8 n.d. methanol RT [85]
9.0 n.d methanol RT [86]
9.3 n.d. ethanol RT [87]
14,550d n-hexane RT [88]
14,610d EPAe 77 [89]
central-cis-zeaxanthin
12.4 ± 1.0 14,240 ± 40 2-MTHF 77 this work
all-trans-lutein
23.9 ± 0.1 14,300 ± 30 2-MTHF 77 this work
19.7 ± 0.1 n.d. EPA 77 [83]
15.6 n.d. pyridine RT [83]
15.6 – 15.8 n.d. pyridine RT [40]
15.0 n.d. methanol RT [86]
11.0 14,050 LHCII RT [64]
central-cis-lutein
19.1 ± 0.1 14,730 ± 20 2-MTHF 77 this work
all-trans-violaxanthin
37.0 ± 3.0 14,650 ± 20 2-MTHF 77 this work
24.6 – 25.3 14,470 ± 90 methanol RT [61]
11 13,700 ± 300 LHCII RT [64]
23.9 n.d. n-hexane RT [84]
33.5 ± 0.1 n.d. EPA 77 [83]
15,580 ± 60d EPA 77 [89]
14,880 ± 90d n-hexane RT [88]
central-cis-violaxanthin
27.7 ± 1.0 14,980 ± 30 2-MTHF 77 this work
all-trans-neoxanthin
47.4 ± 1.6 14,850 ± 30 2-MTHF 77 this work
37.6 ± 0.1 n.d. pyridine RT [40]
35 ± 2 n.d. n-hexane
methanol		 RT [90]
central-cis-neoxanthin
47.7 ± 2.0 15,500 ± 30 2-MTHF 77 this work
9’-cis-neoxanthin
53.0 ± 2.0 15,100 ± 50 2-MTHF 77 this work
a

Lifetime of the S1 (21Ag −) excited state;

b

The value of the S1 (21Ag−) excited state energy determined from a TA experiment probing directly the S1−S2 transition unless otherwise noted;

c

not determined;

d

The S1 (21Ag −) excited state energy determined from steady-state fluorescence;

e

EPA is diethyl ether/isopentane/ethanol, 5/5/2, v/v/v.