Femtosecond Spectroscopy of Calcium Dipicolinate-A Major Component of Bacterial Spores.

Bacterial spores are rich in calcium dipicolinate (CaDPA). The role of this compound in the high UV resistance of spore DNA and their unique DNA photochemistry is not yet clarified. Here, the photophysical properties of CaDPA dissolved in water are studied by means of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy as well as quantum chemistry.

Thioxanthone in apolar solvents: ultrafast internal conversion precedes fast intersystem crossing.

The photophysics of thioxanthone dissolved in cyclohexane was studied by femtosecond fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopy. From these experiments two time constants of ∼400 fs and ∼4 ps were retrieved. With the aid of quantum chemically computed spectral signatures and rate constants for intersystem crossing, the time constants were assigned to the underlying processes.