Conical intersection dynamics of the primary photoisomerization event in vision

Dario Polli, Piero Altoè, Oliver Weingart, Katelyn M. Spillane, Cristian Manzoni, Daniele Brida, Gaia Tomasello, Giorgio Orlandi, Philipp Kukura, Richard A. Mathies, Marco Garavelli () and Giulio Cerullo ()
Additional contact information
Dario Polli: IFN-CNR, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
Piero Altoè: Università di Bologna, V. F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Oliver Weingart: Lehrstuhl für theoretische Chemie, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45117 Essen, Germany
Katelyn M. Spillane: University of California at Berkeley
Cristian Manzoni: IFN-CNR, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
Daniele Brida: IFN-CNR, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
Gaia Tomasello: Università di Bologna, V. F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Giorgio Orlandi: Università di Bologna, V. F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Philipp Kukura: University of Oxford, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
Richard A. Mathies: University of California at Berkeley
Marco Garavelli: Università di Bologna, V. F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Giulio Cerullo: IFN-CNR, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy

Nature, 2010, vol. 467, issue 7314, 440-443

Abstract: A quick look at vision The primary photochemical event in vision, isomerization of the 11-cis chromophore in rhodopsin to the all-trans form, is one of the fastest natural photochemical processes known, taking less than a millionth of a millionth of a second. The molecular details of reactions of such rapidity are a stiff challenge to experimenters, but Polli et al. now report the characterization of the reaction using ultrafast optical spectroscopy with sub-20-femtosecond time resolution and spectral coverage from the visible to the near infrared. The data confirm that rhodopsin's extreme reactivity results from a molecular funnel mechanism that involves a 'conical intersection' between the potential energy surfaces of the starting and product molecules.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/nature09346

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