Abstract
In this paper, the molecular details for the primary reaction in photosynthesis are deduced from several recent critical experimental observations. A symmetrical structure is proposed for the basic unit of the reaction center in plant photosynthesis. A mathematical consequence of the symmetrical arrangement is the creation of an anomalously long-lived trap state, which makes possible the summation of a reaction-center triplet excitation and an antenna chlorophyll singlet excitation to bring the photoactive chlorophylls to a charge-transfer state prior to entering into a primary photochemical reaction.
Keywords: energy upconversion, excitonic interactions, photosynthesis
Full text
PDFSelected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- FRANCK J., ROSENBERG J. L. A THEORY OF LIGHT UTILIZATION IN PLANT PHOTOSYNTHESIS. J Theor Biol. 1964 Sep;7:276–301. doi: 10.1016/0022-5193(64)90073-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fong F. K. Energy upconversion theory of the primary photochemical reaction in plant photosynthesis. J Theor Biol. 1974 Aug;46(2):407–420. doi: 10.1016/0022-5193(74)90006-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hammond G. S., Turro N. J. Organic Photochemistry. Science. 1963 Dec 20;142(3599):1541–1553. doi: 10.1126/science.142.3599.1541. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McElroy J. D., Feher G., Mauzerall D. C. Characterization of primary reactants in bacterial photosynthesis. I. Comparison of the light-induced EPR signal (g=2.0026) with that of a bacteriochlorophyll radical. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1972 May 25;267(2):363–374. doi: 10.1016/0005-2728(72)90123-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Norris J. R., Druyan M. E., Katz J. J. Electron nuclear double resonance of bacteriochlorophyll free radical in vitro and in vivo. J Am Chem Soc. 1973 Mar 7;95(5):1680–1682. doi: 10.1021/ja00786a066. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Norris J. R., Uphaus R. A., Crespi H. L., Katz J. J. Electron spin resonance of chlorophyll and the origin of signal I in photosynthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Mar;68(3):625–628. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.3.625. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Norris J. R., Uphaus R. A., Katz J. J. Electron spin resonance in 13 C-labelled chlorophyll and 13 C-labelled algae. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1972 Aug 17;275(2):161–168. doi: 10.1016/0005-2728(72)90036-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wraight C. A., Leigh J. S., Dutton P. L., Clayton R. K. The triplet state of reaction center bacteriochlorophyll: determination of a relative quantum yeild. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1974 Mar 26;333(3):401–408. doi: 10.1016/0005-2728(74)90123-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]