Zinc plays a key role in genetic expression, cell division, and growth and is essential for the function of more than 200 enzymes; effects of zinc deficiency induce many syndromes, including abnormal visual adaptation. The pigment epithelium (EP) contains high concentrations of zinc in humans and in animals and it participates in threshold elevation, visual sensitivity increment, and acceleration of rhodopsin regeration during visual adaptation. The origin of c-wave of electroretinogram(ERG) is not only pigment epithelium as shown in present research, but also other cell layers, perhaps the photoreceptors. We propose zinc as a candidate for an internal messenger which participates in signal amplification.

Dry orderly oriented purple membrane from Halobacterium halobium was obtained by a new technique of preparation. This oriented purple membrane film was very stable, nearly permanently, and showed long term reproducibility with respect to its photochemical behavior. In addition, we have investigated the photooptical properties in terms of the M$_{412}$ intermediate of the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle with respect to the humidity of the film. The relative optical density, i.e. its apparent concentration of the M$_{412}$ intermediate was decreased with the humidity increase as a function of the intensity of the exciting flash within our experimental range. It is suggested that the bound water molecules play an important role in the structure of the bacteriorhodopsin.

The photohydration of 1-(m-nitrophenyl)-5, 5-dimethyl-1, 3-hexadiyne (m-NDHD) affords allenyl ketone compound (1) via triplet excited state which is converted into $\beta$-dicarbonyl compound (2) through thermal hydration. The allenyl ketone is formed by the synchronous addition of water with protonation at C$_1$ indicating that m-NDHD has the reverse polarization and greater electron withdrawing effect in the triplet excited state in comparison with p-NDHD.

Photoreactions of pseudosaccharin ethers have been investigated. Pseudosaccharin 3-allyl ether undergoes a facile photoreaction via reaction pathways involving homolysis of bond between pseudosaccharyl oxygen and 3-allyl carbon, and excited nucleophilic substitution of allyloxy group by solvent which are not quenched by oxygen present in the reaction. Product yield demonstrates that the homolysis pathway predominates over the nucleophilic substitution in ca. 7:1 ratio. In contrast, pseudosaccharin alkyl ethers follow different reaction routes to produce two products, solvent-substituted pseudosaccharin alkyl ethers and reduction products, 3-alkoxy-1, 2-benzisothiazoles. The formations of reduction products, 3-alkoxy-1, 2-benzisothiazoles are completely quenched by oxygen.

Luminscence spectra and decay of crystalline hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-s-tetrazine (RDX) are observed at 90 K and the effects of photochemical reaction on the luminescence of RDX are investigated. The uv light from high power Hg lamp is used for the photochemical reaction of RDX. While no significant changes are observed in the luminescence spectra after the photochemical reaction, the intensity profile of the spectra changes with the progress of chemical reactions. The biexponential decay of luminescence is modified by chemical reactions. Features of the electronic states of crystalline RDX are discussed in relation to the luminescence.

Solvatochromic effects and hydrogen bonding interactions of 4-hydroxy-4'-nitrostilbene(NSOH) were investigated. Electronic transition energies of NSOH have good correlation with Taft's $\pi$$^*$. The hydrogen bonding interactions can be accounted by analysis with equation of $\Delta$E= $\Delta$E$_0$ + s($\pi$$^*$ + d$\delta$) + a$\alpha$ + b$\beta$. From UV-visible absorption maximum energies, $\Delta$E = 81.2 kcal/mole - 6.66($\pi$$^*$ - 0.20$\delta$) - 0.66$\alpha$ - 1.93$\beta$ (corr.=0.970) was obtained, and from fluorescence intensity maximum energies, $\Delta$E= 70.07 kcal/mole - 21.6($\pi$$^*$ - 0.11d) - 1.74$\alpha$ - 2.73$\beta$ (corr.=0.947) was obtained. The micropolarity estimated at the solubilization sites is close to the polarity of water. The apparent Taft's $\pi$$^*$ values of solubilization sites are close to 1. Howcver, the solubilization sites for the fluorescent NSOH is rather nonpolar. Both NSOH and NSO$^-$ can be solubilized in CTAB and CTAC micelles and NSOH is the only species that can be solubilized in SDS and Brij-35 micelles.

The photodimers with cyclobutane rings and C$_2$ symmetry, derived from coumarin (syn, head to tail and anti, head to head) have been calculated by PM3-UHF-CI and Molecular Mechanics force field. The photocycloaddition to coumarin and 5,7-dimethoxycoumarin(DMC) dimers were deduced to be formed by their preferable frontier orbital interactions and via more stable cycloaddition by the C$_3$, C$_4$ bond. These results are consistent with the coumarin dimer model that the theoretical C$_4$-photocyclodimer of coumarin is predicted much more than the experimental C$_4$-photocyclodimer.

A semiempirical methods(PM3-CI-UHF, MM2) for the evaluation of ground and excited state electronic structures of electron-donating substituents are applied to 4, 5', 8-trimethylpsoralen(TMP) with TMP dimer. Three types of product have been proposed; (1) pyrone< >pyrone, (2) pyrone< >furan, (3) hetero dimer resulting from the C$_4$-cycloaddition between the furan end of one TMP moiety and the pyrone end of the other, with cis-syn configuration.

For studying chlorophyll biosynthetic heterogeneity of plants, it is necessary to establish a technique for microassay of a putative monovinyl and divinyl protoporphyrin IX. Precise determination of the amounts of monovinyl and divinyl protoporphyrin IX is difficult with optical electronic spectroscopy even at 77$\circ$C. Such a problem could be solved by conversion of protoporphyrin IX to protoporphyrin IX dimethylester with diazomethane and subsequent Mg insertion into protoporphyrin IX dimethylester by reaction with a Grignard solution. The proportion of monovinyl and divinyl Mg-protoporphyrin IX dimethylester formed was measured instead of direct measuring that of protoporphyrin IX by low-temperature spectrofluorometry. The relative proportions of monovinyl and divinyl of protoporphyrin IX, Mg-protoporphyrin IX, and Mgprotoporphyrin IX dimethylester have not changed during the chemical conversion steps. This analysis system could be useful for the study of the monovinyl and divinyl chlorophyll biosynthetic routes in plants.