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Elucidating nuclear motions in a plant sunscreen during photoisomerization through solvent viscosity effects
M D Horbury1, W-D Quan1, A L Flourat2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK. v.stavros@warwick.ac.uk.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|July 28, 2017
Abstract:
We explore the effects of solvent viscosity on the trans-cis photoisomerization of sinapoyl malate, which is utilized as a sunscreen molecule in plants. Our results demonstrate that viscosity has a significant effect on the timescale for isomerization, providing insight into the nuclear motions involved. The ramifications of these findings are discussed with reference to sinapoyl malate's in vivo photoprotection properties.

