Photoisomerization (IMAGE)

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Photoisomerization

Caption

When light hits certain chromophores in proteins, it causes them to twist and change shape. This atomic reconfiguration, known as photoisomerization, changes the molecule's chemical and physical properties. The hallmark of this process is a rotation that occurs around a chemical bond in the molecule. New research shows that the electric fields within a protein play a large role in determining which bond this rotation occurs around.

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Stanford University

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