Really Green Chemistry: Photorelease of Caged Neurotransmitters using a Low Power Green Laser Pointer

OSCAR FILEVICH; MARCELO SALIERNO; ROBERTO ETCHENIQUE

Huerta Grande

Congreso; Primera reunión conjunta de neurociencias; 2009

SAN

Caged neurotransmitters are a very convenient technique for application of an increasing diversity of small molecules. Aminoacids, neurotransmitters, nucleic acids and even some hormones and oligopeptides have been caged. Good properties for the photorelease reaction are high quantum efficiency ({phi}) and long photon wavelength ({lambda}). Our group has been working on a cageing technology, based on ruthenium bipyridine coordination bonds, that allows for the tuning of the spectral and chemical properties of the compound. We demonstrate the photorelease of neurotransmitters with a 5 mW, 532 nm (green) laser pointer.