On the magnetic field dependence of the yield of the triplet state in reaction centers of photosynthetic bacteria

Abstract

The yield of the triplet state in reaction centers of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides is dependent on the strength of an applied magnetic field. Reaction centers of the wild type that lack a functional iron complexed to the primary acceptor ubiquinone show a dependence similar to that of reaction centers of the mutant R-26 in which the iron-ubiquinone complex is intact. Apparently, the iron of the iron-ubiquinone complex is not essential to the effect, but it does exert an influence on its extent. In chromatophores, the effect is about 2-fold decreased; the value of the magnetic field at which half the effect is found is about 500 G, in contrast to this value for reaction centers, which is 50–100 G. The magnetodependence of the triplet yield is discussed in terms of the Chemically Induced Dynamic Electron Polarization mechanism (CIDEP).