Our discovery resolves a decades old mystery of the molecular underpinnings of white-petal California poppies, and adds to the cultural legacy of the California golden poppy.Commercial California poppy varieties were purchased as seeds from Eden Brothers , Vermont Wildflowers , and Cornucopia . Seeds were germinated in individual pots, and subsequent developing flower buds collected and frozen on dry ice. In some cases, poppy leaf material was also collected. Mature flowers from the same plants were examined and photographed to verify the advertised varieties. We also collected ostensibly wild California poppy flower samples from fields across three San Francisco Bay Area counties. For RNA isolation, plant material was pulverized in liquid nitrogen using a mortar and pestle, and then RNA prepared using the RNeasy Mini kit . Genomic DNA was isolated from commercial seeds, using the Quick-DNA Plant/Seed Miniprep Kit .The Laboratory of Chemical Biodynamics continues to base its research plan on the importance of its role in the application of sophisticated chemical sciences to problems relevant to the mission of the Department of Energy. Our Laboratory is in the unique position that it is staffed mainly by investigators trained in chemistry with an interest in applying these skills 12 to both biological and energy science problems. Our mission is to carry out research that takes advantage of our unique skills, as well as to train young investigators in the fields we so strongly 11 represent. The research in the Laboratory of Chemical Bioclynamics is almost entirely fundamental research. The biological research component is strongly dominated by a long term interest in two main themes which make up our Structural Biology Program. The first interest has to do with understanding the molecular dynamics of photosynthesis. The Laboratory’s investigators are studying the various components that make up the photosynthetic reaction center complexes in many different organisms.

This work not only involves understanding the kinetics of energy transfer and storage in plants,square plastic planter but also includes studies to work out how photosynthetic cells regulate the expression of genes encoding the photosynthetic apparatus. The second biological theme is a series of investigations into the relationship between structure and function in nucleic acids. Our basic mission in this program is to couple our chemical and biophysical expertise to understand how not only the primary structure of nucleic acids, but also higher levels of structure including interactions with proteins and other nucleic acids regulate the functional activity of genes. In the chemical sciences work in the Laboratory, our investigators are increasing our understanding of the fundamental chemistry of electronically excited molecules, a critical dimension of every photosynthetic energy storage process. We are developing approaches not only toward the utilization of sophisticated chemistry to store photon energy, but also to develop systems that can emulate the photosynthetic apparatus in the trapping and transfer of photosynthetic energy. This research is directed toward fundamental understanding of the special chemistry of electronically excited molecules, which is involved in every photosynthetic photon energy storage process. An electronically excited molecule differs from the ground state in orbital occupancy, charge distribution, molecular structure, and chemical reactivities. These differences are the key to photon energy storage. Infrared spectroscopy coupled with matrix isolation provides a powerful diagnostic technique. Absorption features are sharp and informative about molecular structures. With a tunable laser photolysis source, we are attempting to map electronic hypersurfaces. Both unimolecular and bimolecular reactions are under study. To increase our knowledge of matrixinduced surface crossing, we are investigating fluorescence and phosphorescence as well. The compound dimethylamino benzonitrile has received a great deal of attention because in room temperature solutions it displays two fluorescent radiative relaxation paths. These two paths are strongly solvent—and temperature-dependent.

The strong solvent dependence is attributed to a very large charge separation in the electronically excited state. This excited state is, of course, stabilized in polar solvents which affects the dual fluorescence. To add new information and elucidate further this interesting behavior, we have investigated the fluorescence and phosphorescence of DMABN suspended in various matrices at 10° K. Both inert gas and polar matrices have been investigated. With the three inert gas matrices Ar, Kr, and Xe, both fluorescence and phosphorescence were observed. As the spin-orbit coupling constant of the inert gas increased , the amount of flulrescence decreased and the amount of phosphorescence increased. At the same time, the sum of fluorescence plus phosphorescence increased. This shows that the most important effect of the matrix environment is to increase singlet-triplet surface crossing. This is the first clear-cut demonstration of phosphorescence from DMABN and our spectra display interpretable vibrational fine structure that gives information about the ground state. When a polar matrix, such as ammonia or hydrogen bromide is used, the vibrational fine structure is lost but, surprisingly, the zero-zero frequencies of both the singlet and the triplet transitions are unaffected. The significance of this striking difference from the polar solvent affects observed in solutions is under study. The purpose of this program is to search for and evaluate chemical systems which permit use and storage of near infrared photons, and allow to accomplish their efficient conversion into useful energy. The importance for exploring chemistry with these long wavelength quanta derives from the fact that photochemical reactions which can be initiated by these photons are very sparce despite the fact that more than half of the solar irradiance at ground level lies in the near infrared . Our work is aimed at contributing to this key problem in solar photochemistry in two ways. First, on a fundamental level, we are searching for low energy paths of bimolecular reactions that would allow us to initiate the chemistry with near infrared photons. Secondly, on a level directly aiming at photon storage and conversion, we are studing chemical systems which permit synthesis with near infrared photons, accomplish their storage, and offer a way for efficient conversion of the stored chemical energy into useful energy.

We are examining manganese porphyrin species as potential multi-electron oxidation catalyst for oxygen evolution from water and for other oxidation reaction. In photosynthesis some type of manganese complex is involved in the oxygen evolution process. Manganese porphyrin complexes exhibit a rich variety of oxidation states in which the porphyrin macrocycle is resistant to irreversible redox reactions. These properties make them promising oxidation catalysts, and, in addition, it has recently been shown that manganese porphyrin complexes catalyze the oxidation of olefinic hydrocarbons. Our research is directed at characterizing various highly oxidized manganese porphyrin species and studying their chemistry with the view of judging their potential usefulness in the oxidation cycle of an artificial photosynthesis assembly. The work has proceeded along two parallel pathways. The first is directed at water soluble manganese porphyrins and involves chemical, electrochemical and photochemical studies. However,square pot isolation of intermediate species is frequently easier in organic solvents, and we are also investigating the redox chemistry of manganese tetraphenylporphyrin complexes in organic media. Comparison of similarities and differences in the properties of oxidized manganese porphyrins in aqueous and nonaqueous systems has led to helpful itisights and has suggested new experiments. An effort is underway to prepare a polynuclear manganese complex with some cyclic amines, i.e. cyclams. There is reason to suspect that the multiple manganese sites on such a molecule could provide the capability of bringing two oxygen atoms together to form.For gardeners, California’s climate both charms and challenges. Its charms include rainless summers with warm, sunny days and mild nights, and brief, mild winters. But most of these charms are also challenges. The long, hot summers with no precipitation require frequent irrigation, and the low humidity can further increase the water demand and pest susceptibility of humidity-loving plants. The brief, mild winters can render plants that require a long seasonal chill unsatisfactory in either fall color or fruit production, and allow many pests that would be killed elsewhere by winter freezing to survive and multiply from one year to the next. Because so many commonly used landscape plants are ill-adapted to these climatic conditions, large inputs of water, pesticides and fertilizers are needed to keep them looking their best. With constantly increasing population pressures in the state, there is an increasing demand for water . Due to over watering and the frequent use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, an increase in undesirable chemicals in urban runoff is a growing and serious problem . In addition to all this, whereas other large states such as Texas have only four U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones , California is home to at least seven USDA zones and 24 climate zones as described in Sunset Western Garden Book . Nonetheless, large chain nurseries in particular often sell the same plants from one end of the state to the other, ensuring that many customers who bought something that was lovely in the garden center will eventually be disappointed with a plant unsuitable to their part of the state. So how does one create a lovely landscape with such difficult challenges? The obvious answer is simply to garden with plants that have greater drought-tolerance, fewer pest problems and an adaptation to milder winters.

In fact, in recent years there has been a trend in both public landscapes and home gardens to use more plants with these characteristics. These plants, usually native to California or other areas of the world with Mediterranean-type climates, are sometimes referred to as “low-input” because they require little supplemental water and no chemicals to look their best. Their proper maintenance leaves no negative impact on the environment. The horticulture industry, however, thrives on a constant input of new and beautiful plants to tantalize its customers year to year, and despite the growing demand, plants in the “low-input” category have been relatively few and slow in coming to the mainstream nursery market.Those retail nurseries that do offer or specialize in native plants are often known only to a small, motivated market of knowledgeable gardeners who seek them out. Most are located in coastal areas, away from the large tracts of developing Central Valley urbanization, where polluted runoff into watersheds is an issue. Some are inaccessible to much of the public either by location or limited hours, and have limited distribution to the landscape trade. Many California native plants would be beautiful in urban landscapes, but they have been underused in mainstream retail nurseries and the landscape industry because relatively few species have been available in the numbers needed for large-scale retail distribution. Most of the work on native-plant propagation protocols has been used to produce species for reforestation and revegetation by conservation agencies and affiliates, where the market is driven more by governmental than consumer forces. Little attention, however, has been paid to developing commercially viable propagation protocols for the ongoing addition of new, low-input species to the nursery market, partly because of misconceptions among nurserymen and landscapers that all natives are difficult to propagate, and that few are attractive enough to be appealing to consumers. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many native species that would be year-round assets to any garden, and any difficulty in propagation is simply a protocol waiting to be discovered. A workable answer to all these concerns is a statewide, coordinated, cooperative, low-input plant introduction program. Many other states and regions of the country have long-established, successful, plant introduction programs that benefit all stakeholders by combining the talents, knowledge and energy of university researchers, extension specialists, arboretum and botanical garden personnel, and members of the wholesale and retail horticulture industry. Just such a program is under way at UC Davis. UC Cooperative Extension researchers, UC Davis Arboretum staff and the California Center for Urban Horticulture are partnering with members of the commercial horticulture industry to provide a channel for the ongoing introduction of beautiful new low-input plants to a wide landscape horticulture market. Although this introduction program is in its infancy, it will entail four basic stages: initial selection, a low water tolerance field trial, zone garden trials and commercial introduction. The overriding goal of the project is to provide consumers with a source of beautiful landscape materials that will thrive in a wide variety of California climate zones with little input of water or chemicals.