Déjean Victoire, Konowalczyk Marcin, Gravell Jamie, Golesworthy Matthew J, Gunn Catlin, Pompe Nils, Foster Vander Elst Olivia, Tan Ke-Jie, Oxborrow Mark, Aarts Dirk G A L, Mackenzie Stuart R, Timmel Christiane R
Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory Oxford OX1 3QR UK
Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory Oxford OX1 3QZ UK.
Chem Sci. 2020 Jul 22;11(30):7772-7781. doi: 10.1039/d0sc01986k.
Certain pairs of paramagnetic species generated under conservation of total spin angular momentum are known to undergo magnetosensitive processes. Two prominent examples of systems exhibiting these so-called magnetic field effects (MFEs) are photogenerated radical pairs created from either singlet or triplet molecular precursors, and pairs of triplet states generated by singlet fission. Here, we showcase confocal microscopy as a powerful technique for the investigation of such phenomena. We first characterise the instrument by studying the field-sensitive chemistry of two systems in solution: radical pairs formed in a cryptochrome protein and the flavin mononucleotide/hen egg-white lysozyme model system. We then extend these studies to single crystals. Firstly, we report temporally and spatially resolved MFEs in flavin-doped lysozyme single crystals. Anisotropic magnetic field effects are then reported in tetracene single crystals. Finally, we discuss the future applications of confocal microscopy for the study of magnetosensitive processes with a particular focus on the cryptochrome-based chemical compass believed to lie at the heart of animal magnetoreception.
已知在总自旋角动量守恒的情况下产生的某些顺磁物种对会经历磁敏过程。表现出这些所谓磁场效应(MFE)的系统有两个突出例子,即由单重态或三重态分子前体产生的光生自由基对,以及由单重态裂变产生的三重态对。在这里,我们展示了共聚焦显微镜作为研究此类现象的强大技术。我们首先通过研究溶液中两个系统的场敏感化学性质来表征该仪器:在隐花色素蛋白中形成的自由基对以及黄素单核苷酸/鸡蛋清溶菌酶模型系统。然后我们将这些研究扩展到单晶。首先,我们报告了黄素掺杂溶菌酶单晶中的时间和空间分辨磁场效应。然后报告了并四苯单晶中的各向异性磁场效应。最后,我们讨论了共聚焦显微镜在磁敏过程研究中的未来应用,特别关注被认为是动物磁受体核心的基于隐花色素的化学罗盘。