It is well established today that absorption of UV radiation by DNA may provoke carcinogenic mutations, which are triggered by photochemical reactions. The seminar will focus on the primary steps leading from photon absorption to the formation of photoproducts. These processes are investigated by time-resolved spectroscopy, from the femtosecond to the millisecond time-scales, associated with theoretical calculations.
The talk will start with an introduction of the electronic excited states and their interactions, followed by a brief description of the experimental setups used in the studies. Then the most important results obtained during the past decade will be highlighted and the open questions will be presented. Finally, the perspective of using DNA-inspired molecular materials for applications in the field of molecular electronics and optoelectronics will be tackled.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 5163-5165
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 11834-11835
Mutation Research 2010, 704, 21-28
Speaker: Dimitra Markovitsi
CNRS Research Director,
Laboratoire Francis Perrin, France
Time: Wednesday, 29 February 2012, 13:00