WAVELENGTH DEPENDENCE OF THE INTERSYSTEM CROSSING EFFICIENCY FOR RETINAL ISOMERS

Abstract
Abstract— The quantum efficiencies of intersystem crossing (P̈ISC) fur four isomers of retinal, the all‐trans, 9‐cis, 11‐cis and 13‐cis, have been measured using both 265 nm and 353 nm excitation. The values for the all‐trans and 9‐cis isomers are independent of the excitation wavelength but the values for the 11‐cis and 13‐cis isomers show a marked increase in the efficiency of ISC for 353 nm excitation compared with the 265 nm excitation.