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The Circular Dichroism and Optical Rotatory Dispersion of Visual Pigments

  • Chapter
Photochemistry of Vision

Part of the book series: Handbook of Sensory Physiology ((1536,volume 7 / 1))

Abstract

The phenomenon of circular dichroism is well illustrated in an experiment first performed by the French physicist Cotton (1896). One looks through a strong solution of potassium chromium tartrate, prepared from optically active tartaric acid, introducing pieces of right and left circularly polarizing material between the light and the solution. It is seen that the fields presented by the two polarizers are not identical, differing in brightness if the light is monochromatic, and in hue if white light is used. The solution preferentially absorbs one of the two forms of circularly polarized light and is said to be circularly dichroic. Haidingee, (1847) had previously reported differences in absorption of the components of circularly polarized light by crystals of amethyst quartz but Cotton’s extensive quantitative studies on solutions of coloured tartrates revealed the principal features of the phenomenon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. London, UK

    Trevor I. Shaw

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  1. Trevor I. Shaw
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Herbert J. A. Dartnall

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© 1972 Springer-Verlag, Berlin · Heidelberg

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Shaw, T.I. (1972). The Circular Dichroism and Optical Rotatory Dispersion of Visual Pigments. In: Dartnall, H.J.A. (eds) Photochemistry of Vision. Handbook of Sensory Physiology, vol 7 / 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-65066-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-65066-6_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-65068-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-65066-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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