Photo-CIDNP Spectroscopy

Photo-CIDNP spectroscopy relies on a unique interplay of magnetic interactions, diffusion, and chemical reactivity; it possesses all the advantages of NMR spectroscopy but responds to processes on a nanosecond timescale. This very powerful method can be used to investigate short-lived intermediates, the mechanisms of complex photoreactions, structures and folding of proteins, and processes in photosynthetic reaction centres. This chapter provides an introduction to the theory, explains the instrumentation and techniques with emphasis on new developments, uses a series of case studies to illustrate the information that a chemist can obtain from photo-CIDNP, and reviews recent applications of photo-CIDNP spectroscopy to chemical and biochemical problems. The literature from 1996 to mid-2008 is covered.