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Mechanism of Primary Charge Separation in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers

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The Biophysics of Photosynthesis

Part of the book series: Biophysics for the Life Sciences ((BIOPHYS,volume 11))

Abstract

This chapter presents a review of primary charge separation processes in various photosynthetic reaction centers. Common motif of the known reaction centers is briefly discussed, followed by a comprehensive overview of the charge separation mechanisms in three major reaction center complexes for which crystal structures have been determined: bacterial reaction center, photosystem II, and photosystem I.

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Abbreviations

2D-ES:

Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy

BChl:

Bacteriochlorophyll

BPheo:

Bacteriopheophytin

BRC:

Bacterial reaction center

Chl:

Chlorophyll

CS:

Charge separation

CT:

Charge transfer

DADS:

Decay-associated difference spectra

DAS:

Decay-associated spectra

EET:

Excitation energy transfer

ET:

Electron transfer

FC:

Franck-Condon

FRET:

Förster resonance energy transfer

FWHM:

Full width at half maximum

HB:

Hole burning

PHB:

Photochemical hole burning

Pheo:

Pheophytin

PS I:

Photosystem I

PS II:

Photosystem II

RC:

Reaction center

SHB:

Spectral hole burning

WT:

Wild type

ZPH:

Zero-phonon hole

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dan Hartzler, Su Lin, and Valter Zazubovich for useful discussions. The authors acknowledge the Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the US Department of Energy, through Grant DE-FG02-09ER16084 (to S.S.) and DE-FG02-11ER16281 (to R.J.) for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Purdue University, 525 Northwestern Avenue, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Sergei Savikhin Ph.D.

  2. Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, 213 CBC Building, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA

    Ryszard Jankowiak M.S., Ph.D.

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  1. Sergei Savikhin Ph.D.
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  2. Ryszard Jankowiak M.S., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Sergei Savikhin Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    John Golbeck

  2. Dept of Chemistry, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

    Art van der Est

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Savikhin, S., Jankowiak, R. (2014). Mechanism of Primary Charge Separation in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers. In: Golbeck, J., van der Est, A. (eds) The Biophysics of Photosynthesis. Biophysics for the Life Sciences, vol 11. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1148-6_7

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