Low-temperature Absorption Spectroscopy Research Articles

Energy levels and crystal-field analysis of Tm 3+ in YAl 3(BO 3) 4 crystals

The electronic structure of the Tm 3+ in YAl 3(BO 3) 4 crystals has been investigated by means of low temperature absorption and emission spectroscopy in the 5000–30,000 cm −1 range. The assignment of the lines composing the observed manifolds to transitions between the Stark levels of Tm 3+ is complicated by the presence of extra features having different origins. The energy levels scheme of the doping ion has been compiled after a careful analysis of the spectra by reproducing the observed transitions by means of theoretical calculations based on a Hamiltonian, including the free ion and the crystal field (CF) terms. The agreement between experimental and calculated energy values was reasonably good, the overall r.m.s. deviation being 16 cm −1. The resulting CF parameters have been tabulated and compared with those reported in literature for other rare earth ions doped in YAB. The analysis of trends observed along the lanthanide series evidences some inconsistencies and the necessity of a systematic investigation of these systems.

Specific features of the photocatalytic destruction of Safranin T on mechanochemically produced barium titanate

Possibility of producing powdered barium titanate with increased specific surface area and defective structure by mechanochemical treatment of barium titanyl oxalate and a mixture of barium and titanium oxides was studied. Samples were examined by means of X-ray phase and differential-thermal analyses, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, EPR, and electronic absorption spectroscopy. The photoactivity of the mechanochemically activated powders in the reaction of Safranine T disintegration in aqueous solutions was analyzed.

Absorption and fluorescence of arylmethylidenoxindoles and isoindigo

A series of arylmethylidenoxindoles was synthesized by acid or base catalysed condensation of substituted aldehydes with oxindole. The products were formed as mixtures of Z- and E-isomers that were separated using column chromatography and identified by 1H and 13C NMR. The effect of substituents on absorption maxima was investigated both experimentally and theoretically, based on time dependent density functional theory. Low temperature absorption spectroscopy in a solvent glass enabled identification of the position of the 0-0 vibronic bands. The spectral features of the parent Z-benzylidenoxindole were compared to those of trans-isoindigo and trans-stilbene. Fluorescence of arylmethylidenoxindoles in solution was not observed, as E– Z isomerization represents a dominant deactivation channel after irradiation; when this geometrical isomerization was sterically hindered at low temperature solvent glass or in solid, fluorescence of planar Z-isomers was observed.

Excited-State Double Proton Transfer in 1H-Pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline Dimers

Pyrazoloquinolines are highly fluorescent, both in liquid solutions and in the solid state, which makes them good candidates for various optical devices. The aim of the current work is to understand the photochemical behavior of pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (PQ), which is quite complicated since in n-alkane solvents PQ tends to form strong complexes with protic solvent constituents (often present as minor impurities), as well as dimers. Both types of H-bond complexes were studied systematically by temperature-dependent conventional absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy; the effect of protic solvent constituents was mimicked by varying the ethanol concentration in n-octane in the range from 0.0 to 0.8%. At room temperature the PQ:ethanol association constant was estimated at 80 M(-1) and the dimerization constant at 2 x 10(3) M(-1). Dimer formation is enhanced upon lowering the temperature in pure n-alkane down to 220 K, and the fluorescence is strongly reduced since the dimer is nonfluorescent. Surprisingly, when irradiating a frozen sample for several minutes at very low temperatures (<40 K), a narrow-banded Shpol'skii-type fluorescence spectrum gradually appears. To explain this unusual photochemical behavior, PQ and its deuterated analogue were studied using low-temperature absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy over the 300-5 K temperature range. In the case of normal (protonated) PQ, very fast excited-state intermolecular double proton transfer is responsible for the efficient quenching of PQ dimer fluorescence. Deuteration significantly slows down this proton transfer process, and in that case under cryogenic conditions a fluorescent dimer is observed. Photoirradiation under cryogenic conditions leads to molecular rearrangement of the dimers and the appearance of monomer spectra. For both H-PQ and D-PQ, these processes were found to be reversible. A simplified reaction scheme, in which the excited tautomeric dimer plays a crucial role, is presented to explain the observations.

Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) of Phenylimidazoles: Predicted Vibronic Coupling Along the Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer in 2-(2′-Hydroxyphenyl)imidazoles

Methylation at the 1N position of 2-phenylimidazole provides the shortest wavelength for a liquid-state laser dye reported to date; that is, the 1-methyl-2-phenylimidazole molecule in cyclohexane solution yields amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) with a peak wavelength at 314.5 nm and a constant laser gain value of 5 cm(-1) from 310 to 317 nm. Methyl substitution in this case favors the appearance of laser action (owing to a torsion-vibrational mechanism) in cyclohexane as compared with the nonmethylated species which does not exhibit ASE in this solvent. The 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)imidazole molecules give rise to ASE with high gain values (ca. 9 cm(-1)) at 450 and 466 nm. The mechanism of population inversion is understood in terms of a vibronic coupling between the hydroxyl stretching motion and the torsional vibration of the phenyl and imidazole rings. The proton-transfer spectroscopy of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)imidazoles is studied in dioxane, cyclohexane, dimethyl sulfoxide, methanol, and water. The greater the acidity of the solvent the greater the disruption of the intramolecular hydrogen bond; solvent acidity is the main parameter which favors formation of the open-form species in the ground electronic state. Methyl substitution at the 1N position favors formation of the open species for 2-hydroxyphenylimidazoles in the ground electronic state, which decreases their own capacity to undergo ASE. Low-temperature absorption spectroscopy confirms aggregation processes for 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)imidazoles in solution. In accordance with X-ray analyses in the solid phase, these molecules form associations through intermolecular chains of the type N-H...O or O-H...N.

Association of chlorophyll a/ c2 complexes to photosystem I and photosystem II in the cryptophyte Rhodomonas CS24

Photosynthetic supercomplexes from the cryptophyte Rhodomonas CS24 were isolated by a short detergent treatment of membranes from the cryptophyte Rhodomonas CS24 and studied by electron microscopy and low-temperature absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. At least three different types of supercomplexes of photosystem I (PSI) monomers and peripheral Chl a/ c 2 proteins were found. The most common complexes have Chl a/ c 2 complexes at both sides of the PSI core monomer and have dimensions of about 17 × 24 nm. The peripheral antenna in these supercomplexes shows no obvious similarities in size and/or shape with that of the PSI–LHCI supercomplexes from the green plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and may be comprised of about 6–8 monomers of Chl a/ c 2 light-harvesting complexes. In addition, two different types of supercomplexes of photosystem II (PSII) dimers and peripheral Chl a/ c 2 proteins were found. The detected complexes consist of a PSII core dimer and three or four monomeric Chl a/ c 2 proteins on one side of the PSII core at positions that in the largest complex are similar to those of Lhcb5, a monomer of the S-trimer of LHCII, Lhcb4 and Lhcb6 in green plants.

Photoprotection in higher plants: The putative quenching site is conserved in all outer light-harvesting complexes of Photosystem II

In bright sunlight, the amount of energy harvested by plants exceeds the electron transport capacity of Photosystem II in the chloroplasts. The excess energy can lead to severe damage of the photosynthetic apparatus and to avoid this, part of the energy is thermally dissipated via a mechanism called non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). It has been found that LHCII, the major antenna complex of Photosystem II, is involved in this mechanism and it was proposed that its quenching site is formed by the cluster of strongly interacting pigments: chlorophylls 611 and 612 and lutein 620 [A.V. Ruban, R. Berera, C. Ilioaia, I.H.M. van Stokkum, J.T.M. Kennis, A.A. Pascal, H. van Amerongen, B. Robert, P. Horton and R. van Grondelle, Identification of a mechanism of photoprotective energy dissipation in higher plants, Nature 450 (2007) 575–578.]. In the present work we have investigated the interactions between the pigments in this cluster not only for LHCII, but also for the homologous minor antenna complexes CP24, CP26 and CP29. Use was made of wild-type and mutated reconstituted complexes that were analyzed with (low-temperature) absorption and circular-dichroism spectroscopy as well as by biochemical methods. The pigments show strong interactions that lead to highly specific spectroscopic properties that appear to be identical for LHCII, CP26 and CP29. The interactions are similar but not identical for CP24. It is concluded that if the 611/612/620 domain is responsible for the quenching in LHCII, then all these antenna complexes are prepared to act as a quencher. This can explain the finding that none of the Lhcb complexes seems to be strictly required for NPQ while, in the absence of all of them, NPQ is abolished.

Spectroscopic study of chromium-doped transparent calcium germanate glass-ceramics

The optical properties of transparent chromium-doped glass-ceramics with the chemical composition similar to that of cunyite (Cr 4+:Ca 2GeO 4) laser crystal were investigated. Room and low temperature absorption, excitation, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, as well as lifetime measurements were used to develop a model for the optical centers in the glass and nanocrystals. Parent (as quenched) glass does not exhibit any fluorescence; after the heat treatment Cr 4+ fluorescence band appears at ∼1280 nm. Optical properties of nanocrystals formed in the glass-ceramics differ from those in the bulk single crystal Ca 2GeO 4. By comparison of Ca 2GeO 4 – like glass-ceramics with the Ca 2GeO 4 bulk single crystals and Mg 2SiO 4 – glass-ceramics we concluded that the nanocrystal phase is a modified Ca 2GeO 4 structure. Broadband fluorescence and a high quantum efficiency of new glass-ceramics make the new Cr-doped glass-ceramics promising medium for fiber lasers and amplifiers.

Photoreaction Cycle of the Light, Oxygen, and Voltage Domain in FKF1 Determined by Low-Temperature Absorption Spectroscopy

Flavin-binding Kelch repeat F-box (FKF1) protein plays important roles in the photoregulation of flowering in Arabidopsis. FKF1 has a light, oxygen, and voltage (LOV) sensing domain binding a flavin mononucleotide (FMN) as a chromophore noncovalently. Photoreaction of the FKF1-LOV polypeptide was studied by low-temperature absorption spectroscopy. Upon blue light irradiation, a ground state, D(450), is converted to S(390) known as a cysteinyl-flavin adduct intermediate in the photoreaction of phototropin. Below 150 K, bleaching of D(450) was much reduced and a new photoproduct, Z(370), appeared as well as S(390) formation. The calculated absorption spectrum for Z(370) is very similar to those of flavoproteins in an anion radical state. On the basis of the results that S(390) formation proceeds to Z(370) formation and that Z(370) formed at low temperatures reverts to D(450) upon temperature increase, Z(370) is concluded to be not an intermediate from D(450) to S(390). Z(370) is suggested to be formed from the biradical triplet-excited state after relaxing to the ground state with the FMN anion radical trapped at the low temperature, in which the SH of the cysteine is in the wrong position that is able to produce a radical pair but unable to form the cysteinyl-flavin adduct. The counter SH in the cationic radical state may revert to the ground state by extracting an electron from the unidentified amino acid residue. Interestingly, S(390) that has been thought to be irreversible to D(450) was revealed to revert to D(450) very slowly with a half-life time of 62.5 h in solution at 298 K. The photoreaction mechanism is discussed in reference to the calculated activation energy of the reaction processes.

Plasticity in the Composition of the Light Harvesting Antenna of Higher Plants Preserves Structural Integrity and Biological Function

Arabidopsis plants in which the major trimeric light harvesting complex (LHCIIb) is eliminated by antisense expression still exhibit the typical macrostructure of photosystem II in the granal membranes. Here the detailed analysis of the composition and the functional state of the light harvesting antennae of both photosystem I and II of these plants is presented. Two new populations of trimers were found, both functional in energy transfer to the PSII reaction center, a homotrimer of CP26 and a heterotrimer of CP26 and Lhcb3. These trimers possess characteristic features thought to be specific for the native LHCIIb trimers they are replacing: the long wavelength form of lutein and at least one extra chlorophyll b, but they were less stable. A new population of loosely bound LHCI was also found, contributing to an increased antenna size for photosystem I, which may in part compensate for the loss of the phosphorylated LHCIIb that can associate with this photosystem. Thus, the loss of LHCIIb has triggered concerted compensatory responses in the composition of antennae of both photosystems. These responses clearly show the importance of LHCIIb in the structure and assembly of the photosynthetic membrane and illustrate the extreme plasticity at the level of the composition of the light harvesting system.

A Conserved Histidine-Aspartate Pair Is Required for Exovinyl Reduction of Biliverdin by a Cyanobacterial Phycocyanobilin:Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase

Phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase is a member of the ferredoxin-dependent bilin reductase family and catalyzes two vinyl reductions of biliverdin IXalpha to produce phycocyanobilin, the pigment precursor of both phytochrome and phycobiliprotein chromophores in cyanobacteria. Atypically for ferredoxin-dependent enzymes, phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase mediates direct electron transfers from reduced ferredoxin to its tetrapyrrole substrate without metal ion or organic cofactors. We previously showed that bound bilin radical intermediates could be detected by low temperature electron paramagnetic resonance and absorption spectroscopies (Tu, S., Gunn, A., Toney, M. D., Britt, R. D., and Lagarias, J. C. (2004) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126, 8682-8693). On the basis of these studies, a mechanism involving sequential electron-coupled proton transfers to protonated bilin substrates buried within the phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase protein scaffold was proposed. The present investigation was undertaken to identify catalytic residues in phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase from the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC7120 through site-specific chemical modification and mutagenesis of candidate proton-donating residues. These studies identified conserved histidine and aspartate residues essential for the catalytic activity of phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase. Spectroscopic evidence for the formation of stable enzyme-bound biliverdin radicals for the H85Q and D102N mutants support their role as a "coupled" proton-donating pair during the reduction of the biliverdin exovinyl group.

Spectroscopy of chromium centers inLiScGeO4andLiInGeO4single crystals

The detailed spectroscopy of $\mathrm{Cr}:\mathrm{Li}\mathrm{Sc}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ and $\mathrm{Cr}:\mathrm{Li}\mathrm{In}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ is presented. Low temperature absorption, emission, and excitation spectroscopies reveal two types of optical centers: trivalent chromium in the distorted octahedral sites and tetravalent chromium in the tetrahedral sites. Energies of the transitions calculated from the exact atom positions using the angular overlap model are in a satisfactory agreement with the experimental data and describe the unusually low energy position of the ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{3+}$ metastable level. The spin-forbidden $^{2}E$ and $^{2}T_{1}$ transitions of ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{3+}$ appear as a Fano antiresonance in the absorption and excitation spectra. The temperature quenching of ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{3+}$ fluorescence is described in terms of the Struck and Fonger model. ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{3+}$ ions in highly distorted octahedral positions are active centers responsible for recently discovered ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{3+}$ laser action in the near-infrared range in these crystals.

Oxygen binding and activation by the complexes of PY2- and TPA-appended diphenylglycoluril receptors with copper and other metals

The copper(I) complexes of diphenylglycoluril basket receptors and , appended with bis(2-ethylpyridine)amine (PY2) and tris(2-methylpyridine)amine (TPA), respectively, and their dioxygen adducts were studied with low-temperature UV-vis and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The copper(I) complex of, [.Cu(I)2] or, forms a micro-eta2:eta2 dioxygen complex, whereas the copper(I) complex of, [.Cu(I)2] or, does not form a well defined dioxygen complex, but is oxidized to Cu(II). Dioxygen is bound irreversibly to and the formed complex is stable over time. The coordination geometries of the above complexes were determined by XAS, which revealed that pyridyl groups and amine N-donors participate in the coordination to Cu(I) ions in the complexes of both receptors. The catalytic activities of various metal complexes of and , that were designed as mimics of dinuclear copper enzymes that can activate dioxygen, were investigated. Phenolic substrates that were expected to undergo aromatic hydroxylation, showed oxidative polymerization without insertion of oxygen. The mechanism of this polymerization turns out to be a radical coupling reaction as was established by experiments with the model substrate 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol. In addition to Cu(II), the Mn(III) complex of and the Fe(II) complex of were tested as oxidation catalysts. Oxidation of catechol was observed for the Cu(II) complex of receptor but the other metal complexes did not lead to oxidation.

Magnetic quantum dots: synthesis, spectroscopy, and magnetism of Co2+ - and Ni2+-doped ZnO nanocrystals.

We report a method for the preparation of colloidal ZnO-diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots (DMS-QDs) by alkaline-activated hydrolysis and condensation of zinc acetate solutions in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Mechanistic studies reveal that Co(2+) and Ni(2+) dopants inhibit nucleation and growth of ZnO nanocrystals. In particular, dopants are quantitatively excluded from the critical nuclei but are incorporated nearly isotropically during subsequent growth of the nanocrystals. The smaller nanocrystal diameters that result upon doping are explained by the Gibbs-Thompson relationship between lattice strain and crystal solubility. We describe methods for cleaning the nanocrystal surfaces of exposed dopants and for redispersion of the final DMS-QDs. Homogeneous substitutional doping is verified by high-resolution low-temperature electronic absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies. A "giant Zeeman effect" is observed in the band gap transition of Co(2+):ZnO DMS-QDs. MCD and Zeeman spectroscopies are used to quantify the magnitude of the p-d exchange interaction (N(0)beta) that gives rise to this effect. N(0)beta values of -2.3 +/- 0.3 eV (-18 500 cm(-1)) for Co(2+):ZnO and -4.5 +/- 0.6 eV (-36 300 cm(-1)) for Ni(2+):ZnO have been determined. Ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transitions are observed in the MCD spectra of both Co(2+):ZnO and Ni(2+):ZnO DMS-QDs and are analyzed in the context of an optical electronegativity model. The importance of these charge-transfer states in determining N(0)beta is discussed. Ferromagnetism with T(C) > 350 K is observed in aggregated nanocrystals of Co(2+):ZnO that unambiguously demonstrates the existence of intrinsic high-T(C) ferromagnetism in this class of DMSs.

A Reaction Center-Light-harvesting 1 Complex (RC-LH1) from a Rhodospirillum rubrum Mutant with Altered Esterifying Pigments: CHARACTERIZATION BY OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY AND CRYO-ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

Introduction of the bchP gene from Rhodobacter sphaeroides encoding geranylgeranyl reductase into Rhodospirillum rubrum alters the esterification of the bacteriochlorophylls so that phytol is used instead of geranylgeraniol. The resulting transconjugant strain of Rs. rubrum grows photosynthetically, showing that phytolated Bchla can substitute for the native pigment in both the reaction center (RC) and the light-harvesting 1 (LH1) complexes. This genetic manipulation perturbs the native carotenoid biosynthetic pathway; several biosynthetic intermediates are assembled into the core complex and are capable of energy transfer to the bacteriochlorophylls. RC-LH1 complexes containing phytolated Bchla were analyzed by low temperature absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism. These show that phytolated Bchls can assemble in vivo into the photosynthetic apparatus of Rs. rubrum and that the newly introduced phytol tail provokes small perturbations to the Bchls within their binding sites in the LH1 complex. The RC-LH1 core complex was purified from membranes and reconstituted into well ordered two-dimensional crystals with a p4212 space group. A projection map calculated to 9 A shows clearly that the LH1 ring from the mutant is composed of 16 subunits that surround the reaction center and that the diameter of this complex is in close agreement with that of the wild-type LH1 complex.

Measurement of the Electronic Properties of the Flavoprotein Old Yellow Enzyme (OYE) and the OYE:p-Cl Phenol Charge-Transfer Complex Using Stark Spectroscopy

Low-temperature absorption and Stark spectroscopy have been used to study the electronic properties of oxidized flavin mononucleotide (FMN) in old yellow enzyme (OYE) and OYE complexed with p-chlorophenol (p-Cl phenol). The low-temperature absorbance spectrum of OYE showed splittings of the blue and near-UV vibronic bands, which appears to be due to hydrogen bonding between the isoalloxazine moiety and the protein. A Stark spectroscopic analysis showed that the electronic structure of the FMN cofactor in OYE is not significantly perturbed relative to flavins in simple solvents. However, the charge-transfer band in the OYE:p-Cl phenol complex showed a large Stark effect indicative of substantial charge displacement. The magnitude and direction of this charge displacement are consistent with significant charge transfer along the charge-transfer transition dipole moment direction. In addition, the Stark spectrum of the CT band showed unexpected fine structure that could correlate with vibrational progressions in either the p-Cl phenol donor or the flavin acceptor.

Molecular Configuration of Xanthophyll Cycle Carotenoids in Photosystem II Antenna Complexes

The molecular configuration of the xanthophyll cycle carotenoids, violaxanthin and zeaxanthin, was studied in various isolated photosystem II antenna components in comparison to intact photosystem II membranes using resonance Raman combined with low-temperature absorption spectroscopy. The molecular configurations of zeaxanthin and violaxanthin in thylakoids and isolated photosystem II membranes were found to be the same within an isolated oligomeric LHCII antenna, confirming our recent conclusion that these molecules are not freely located in photosynthetic membranes (Ruban, A. V., Pascal, A. A., Robert, B., and Horton, P. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 24862-24870). In contrast, xanthophyll cycle carotenoids bound to LHCII trimers had largely lost their in vivo configuration, suggesting their partial dissociation from the binding locus. Violaxanthin and zeaxanthin associated with the minor antenna complexes, CP26 and CP29, were also found to be in a relaxed configuration, similar to that of free pigment. The origin of the characteristic C-H vibrational bands of violaxanthin and zeaxanthin in vivo is discussed by comparison with those of neoxanthin and lutein in oligomeric and trimeric LHCII respectively.

A microspectrophotometer for UV–visible absorption and fluorescence studies of protein crystals

Absorption microspectrophotometry has been shown to be of considerable help to probe crystalline proteins containing chromophores, metal centres, or coloured substrates/co-factors. Absorption spectra contribute to the proper interpretation of crystallographic structures, especially when transient intermediate states are studied. Here it is shown that fluorescence microspectrophotometry might also be used for such purposes if endogenous fluorophores are present in the macromolecule or when exogenous fluorophores are added and either bind to the protein or reside in the solvent channels. An off-line microspectrophotometer that is able to perform low-temperature absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy on crystals mounted in cryo-loops is described. One-shot steady-state emission spectra of outstanding quality were routinely collected from several samples. In some cases, crystals with optical densities that are too low or too high for absorption studies can still be tackled with fluorescence microspectrophotometry. The technique may be used for simple controls such as checking the presence, absence or redox state of a fluorescent substrate/co-factor. Potential applications in the field of kinetic crystallography are numerous. In addition, the possibility to probe key physico-chemical parameters of the crystal, such as temperature, pH or solvent viscosity, could trigger new studies in protein dynamics.

The primary photoreaction of photoactive yellow protein (PYP): anisotropy changes and excitation wavelength dependence

The absorption and stimulated emission changes in the first 535 ps of the PYP photocycle can be described by four life times of 0.7, 6.3, and 220 ps and long lived. Two intermediates, I 0 and I 0 ‡ , were identified. We did not obtain indications for a significant excitation wavelength dependent primary photochemistry as found in low temperature absorption spectroscopy. The anisotropy of the primary photoproduct I 0 and its successor I 0 ‡ amounts to 0.3 – significantly lower than that of the bleached ground state (0.4). This distinctive change of the transition dipole moment orientation in the product state (24°) reflects changes of the chromophore geometry and electron density distribution caused by the photoisomerisation.

Thermal reactions of spironaphthooxazine dispersed in polystyrene film at low temperatures

Abstract The thermal behaviors of non-planar photoproduct X and photomerocyanine (PMC) form of spironaphthooxazine (SNO) dispersed in polystyrene have been studied using low-temperature absorption spectroscopy. Because the amount of X trapped in polymer is greatly influenced by temperature, ΔOD spectra vary with temperature. Although the reaction rate is extremely slow at 25 K, X experiences both the thermal bleaching reaction to SNO and thermal transformation to give at least three different PMC isomers. At 150 K, ΔOD spectra resemble upside-down of the absorption spectra in the visible region and the thermal bleaching reaction to SNO is the principal reaction.