Photochemistry, Photophysics and Photobiology

Urocanic acid photochemistry and photobiology.

Urocanic acid (2-propenoic acid, 3-[ lH-imidazol-4(5)-yl], UA)? is one of the smallest molecules to have stimulated global interest among biologists, environmentalists, photochemists, photobiologists, medicinal chemists and immunologists. Its history can be traced back more than a century to when it was first found in the urine of dogs (1). Interest in the molecule remained dormant until the mi...

Photophysics and photochemistry of naphthoxazinone derivatives.

The photophysics and photochemistry of a series of naphthoxazinones have been studied using a combination of methods ranging from steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques to product analysis. The photophysics of naphthoxazinone derivatives is very dependent on the structure: phenanthrene-like compounds exhibit higher fluorescence quantum yield than the less aromatic anthracene-li...

Photophysiology: Current Topics in Photobiology and Photochemistry. Volume VII

Volume seven of this distinguished series includes reviews of the following topics in photobiology and photochemistry: Electron spin resonance in photosynthetic systems, by E. C. Weaver and H. E. Weaver; Photochrome, a photochromic sensor, by W. Shropshire; Photosynthetic nitrogen fixation by blue-green algae, by M. B. Allen; The role of light in nitrate metabolism in higher plants, by L. Beeve...

Microscopy beyond imaging: space-resolved photochemistry and photobiology.

Recent advances in urocanic acid photochemistry, photobiology and photoimmunology.

Urocanic acid (UCA), produced in the upper layers of mammalian skin, is a major absorber of ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Originally thought to be a 'natural sunscreen', studies conducted a quarter of a century ago proposed that UCA may be a chromophore for the immunosuppression that follows exposure to UVR. With its intriguing photochemistry, its role in immunosuppression and skin cancer develo...