Title 1: Time-resolved FTIR difference spectroscopy in the study of photobiological reactions – Title 2: Photochemistry of flavonoids: from fundamental aspects to applications

Abstract 1

Time-resolved FTIR difference spectroscopy is a powerful technique in the study of photobiological reactions. In fact, it provides information on both the cofactors/pigments and on the protein, and more in general on the biological system under study, requiring minimal sample preparation. In this talk, I will briefly summarize the principles of the technique and I will show some peculiar applications to photosynthetic proteins and photoreceptors obtained in my lab. The results will be discussed in the framework of the broader field of the application of IR spectroscopy in the study of the mechanism of chemical and biochemical reactions.

Abstract 2

Flavonoids are naturally-occurring molecules present in the vegetal kingdom. Some of them have peculiar photochemical properties which have been recently exploited in several fields. In this talk, I will first introduce the most intriguing applications of flavonoids photochemistry presented in the literature. I will then describe our 15-year long experience in the study of this peculiar class of molecules, mainly - but not exclusively - focused on the subfamily of flavonols (derivatives of 3-hydroxyflavone), which show environment-dependent fluorescence.