Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Stark effect spectroscopy of tryptophan

D W Pierce1, S G Boxer

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, California 94305, USA.

Biophysical Journal
|April 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Researchers measured the change in permanent dipole moment for tryptophan using Stark spectroscopy. This photophysical parameter is crucial for understanding tryptophan fluorescence and the dielectric properties of its environment.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

ADAM12 is a circulating marker for stromal activation in pancreatic cancer and predicts response to chemotherapy.

Oncogenesis·2018
Same author

Cholesterol enhances influenza binding avidity by controlling nanoscale receptor clustering.

Chemical science·2018
Same author

Some speculations concerning the evolution of photosynthetic function.

Photosynthesis research·2014
Same author

Photosynthetic reaction center mutagenesis via chimeric rescue of a non-functional Rhodobacter capsulatus puf operon with sequences from Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Photosynthesis research·2013
Same author

Incorporating model quality information in climate change detection and attribution studies.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2009
Same author

Characterization of two classes of small molecule inhibitors of Arp2/3 complex.

Nature·2009

Area of Science:

  • Photophysics
  • Spectroscopy
  • Biophysical Chemistry

Background:

  • Tryptophan fluorescence spectra are interpreted using the change in permanent dipole moment (Δμ) for the 1La state to ground state transition.
  • This parameter relates to the dielectric properties of the surrounding medium.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To measure Δμ for the 1La transition of tryptophan derivatives using Stark spectroscopy.
  • To extend Stark spectroscopy to systems with overlapping absorption bands.

Main Methods:

  • Electric field effect (Stark) spectroscopy was employed.
  • N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA), melittin, and 5-methoxytryptophan were studied in various solvents.
  • Fluorescence excitation anisotropy spectra were used to decompose overlapping 1La and 1Lb absorption bands.

Main Results:

  • Δμ values for NATA and melittin ranged from 5.9 to 6.2 ± 0.4 Debye/f (f = local field correction).
  • The Δμ for the 1Lb state was significantly smaller.
  • Limitations in spectral decomposition were observed for 5-methoxytryptophan.

Conclusions:

  • Stark spectroscopy provides key photophysical data for interpreting tryptophan fluorescence.
  • The method was successfully extended to analyze systems with overlapping spectral bands.
  • Careful spectral decomposition is necessary for accurate Δμ determination.

Related Experiment Videos