Photoelectron quantum yields of the amino acids.

The photoelectron quantum yields of 21 common amino acids and 15 polyamino acids were measured in the 180-240 nm wavelength region. On the average, the quantum yields of these two groups exhibit quite similar wavelength dependence. For lambda > 220 nm all amino acid and polyamino acid quantum yields are </=10(-7) electrons/(incident) photon. The mean yields increase to about 5 x 10(-7) electrons/photon at 200 nm and 5 x 10(-6) electrons/photon at 180 nm. L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, and poly-L-tryptophan exhibit above average yields between 180 and 200 nm. Comparison with the dye phthalocyanine indicates that the quantum yield of the dye is two orders of magnitude greater than that of the amino acids from 200 to 240 nm, suggesting the feasibility of photoelectron labeling studies of biological surfaces.