Biophysical Techniques in Photosynthesis / Edition 1

by J. Amesz, A.J. Hoff

Overview

Progress in photosynthesis research is strongly dependent on instrumentation. It is therefore not surpr- ing that the impressive advances that have been made in recent decades are paralleled by equally impressive advances in sensitivity and sophistication of physical equipment and methods. This trend started already shortly after the war, in work by pioneers like Lou Duysens, the late Stacy French, Britton Chance, Horst Witt, George Feher and others, but it really gained momentum in the seventies and especially the eighties when pulsed lasers, pulsed EPR spectrometers and solid-state electronics acquired a more and more prominent role on the scene of scientific research. This book is different from most others because it focuses on the techniques rather than on the scientific questions involved. Its purpose is three-fold, and this purpose is reflected in each chapter: (i) to give the reader sufficient insight in the basic principles of a method to understand its applications (ii) to give information on the practical aspects of the method and (iii) to discuss some of the results obtained in photosynthesis research in order to provide insight in its potentalities. We hope that in this way the reader will obtain sufficient information for a critical assessment of the relevant literature, and, perhaps more important, will gain inspiration to tackle problems in his own field of research. The book is not intended to give a comprehensive review of photosynthesis, but nevertheless offers various views on the exciting developments that are going on.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789048145966
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	12/10/2010
Series:	Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration , #3
Edition description:	1996
Pages:	411
Product dimensions:	8.27(w) x 10.98(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

Optical Methods.- Developments in Classical Optical Spectroscopy.- Linear and Circular Dichroism.- Fluorescence.- Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Photosynthetic Systems.- Data Analysis of Time-Resolved Measurements.- Photosynthetic Thermoluminescence as a Simple Probe of Photosystem II Electron Transport.- Accumulated Photon Echo Measurements of Excited State Dynamics in Pigment-Protein Complexes.- Spectral Hole Burning: Methods and Applications to Photosynthesis.- Infrared and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.- Resonance Raman Studies in Photosynthesis — Chlorophyll and Carotenoid Molecules.- Stark Spectroscopy of Photosynthetic Systems.- The Photoacoustic Method in Photosynthesis — Monitoring and Analysis of Phenomena Which Lead to Pressure Changes Following Light Excitation.- Magnetic Resonance.- Magnetic Resonance: An Introduction.- Time-Resolved Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy — Principles and Applications.- Electron Spin Echo Methods in Photosynthesis Research.- ENDOR Spectroscopy.- Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) of Triplet States in Photosynthesis.- Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Photosynthetic Components.- Structureand Oxygen.- Structure Determination of Proteins by X-Ray Diffraction.- Electron Microscopy.- X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy: Determination of Transition Metal Site Structures in Photosynthesis.- Mössbauer Spectroscopy.- Characterization of Photosynthetic Supramolecular Assemblies Using Small Angle Neutron Scattering.- Measurement of Photosynthetic Oxygen Evolution.

Editorial Reviews

‘The book is well presented and referenced with useful figures and should be used by all those interested in photosynthesis.'
Annals of Botany 80: 825-834 (1997)

From the Publisher