Watching a Molecule Change its shape

Seminar
Optics Seminar
Speaker
Yoni Toker
Date
10/06/2015 - 15:00Add to Calendar 2015-06-10 15:00:00 2015-06-10 15:00:00 Watching a Molecule Change its shape Human vision is based on a molecule, the retinal chromphore, which acts as an optical switch - following the absorption of a photon it undergoes an isomerization. This photoisomerization has remarkable properties - it is highly efficient, specific and fast. In order to understand this mechanism and photoisomerizations in general, we need a tool which allows us to 'see' the shape of an isolated molecule, and observe changes to the shape. These kinds of measurements have recently become possible thanks to developments in the field of ion mobility spectroscopy. In this talk I will survery the technique and present our recent study in which we measured the barrier energy for isomerization of the retinal chromphore.  “Direct Measurement of the Isomerization Barrier of the Isolated Retinal Chromophore”, J. Dilger, L. Musbat, M. Sheves, A. B. Bochenkova, D. E. Clemmer, Y. Toker, Ang Chemie Int. Ed. 127 (2015), 4830-4834.  seminar room on the 9th floor of the Nano-center Department of Physics physics.dept@mail.biu.ac.il Asia/Jerusalem public
Place
seminar room on the 9th floor of the Nano-center
Abstract

Human vision is based on a molecule, the retinal chromphore, which acts as an optical switch - following the absorption of a photon it undergoes an isomerization. This photoisomerization has remarkable properties - it is highly efficient, specific and fast. In order to understand this mechanism and photoisomerizations in general, we need a tool which allows us to 'see' the shape of an isolated molecule, and observe changes to the shape. These kinds of measurements have recently become possible thanks to developments in the field of ion mobility spectroscopy. In this talk I will survery the technique and present our recent study in which we measured the barrier energy for isomerization of the retinal chromphore. 

“Direct Measurement of the Isomerization Barrier of the Isolated Retinal Chromophore”, J. Dilger, L. Musbat, M. Sheves, A. B. Bochenkova, D. E. Clemmer, Y. Toker, Ang Chemie Int. Ed. 127 (2015), 4830-4834. 

Last Updated Date : 05/12/2022