Structure and chemistry of retinylidene iminium salts and related systems

his thesis embodies an investigation into the structure and thermal isomerizations of retinylidene iminium salts and related systems. Over the past three decades there has been a tremendous amount of interest surrounding the structurally related natural pigments rhodopsin and bacteriohodopsin. Studies of these compounds have had a large impact in the fields of bioenergetics and visual photochemistry. Both of these proteins consist of a protonated Schiff base linkage between the retinal chromophore and the protein.;A series of retinylidene iminium salts were synthesized and characterized both in solution and the solid state. A unique combination of x-ray crystallography, solid state ;The thermal cis-trans isomerization about the C11-C12 bond of a series of retinylidene iminium salts was investigated by high field ;The thermal reactivity of the isoelectronic protonated poly-unsaturated aldehydes were also examined by high field...