We consider it remarkable that one can obtain strong NMR signals directly from the active site in all natural photosynthetic RCs even without any kind of isotopic enrichment. This effect has been revolutionizing our understanding of the electronic structure of photosynthetic RCs. Jörg Matysik, Anna Diller, Esha Roy, and A. Alia discuss the Solid-State Photo-CIDNP Effect and show that this effect has potentials which may allow for guiding artificial photosynthesis research. Over the last

several years, Theory and Modeling have gained tremendously in their capacity to provide understanding of the phenomena being investigated, and consequently in their application and impact on our field of research. Today, these theoretical tools are essential for the full interpretation of spectroscopic results, for deriving reaction mechanisms and for calculating structures and spectroscopic signatures DMXAA purchase of reaction intermediates. Our special issue contains an Overview about these methods by Francesco Buda. Then the find more Density Functional Theory (DFT) approach is explained by Maylis Orio, Dimitrios A. Panatazis,

and Frank Neese and an introduction into the Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical (QM/MM) approach is given by Eduardo Sproviero, Michael B. Newcomer, José A. Gascón, Enrique R. Batista, and Victor S. Batista. We conclude this section with a paper by Thomas Renger on

Energy Transfer Theory, which allows understanding of how antenna systems transfer absorbed solar energy to the RCs, where it is used for charge separation. Our special issue (Part A and Part B) on Basics and Applications of learn more biophysical Techniques in Photosynthesis concludes with a set of papers describing Other Techniques that do not directly fall into one of the above categories, but are important for the biophysical characterization of natural and artificial photosynthesis. Gernot Renger and Bertram Hanssum summarize and explain methods Amino acid for measuring Oxygen Evolution. Thermodynamic parameters of this reaction—such as enthalpy changes and apparent volume changes—can be derived by Photothermal Beam Deflection (see review by André Krauss, Roland Krivanek, Holgar Dau, and Michael Haumann, in Part B of this special issue). Katrin Beckmann, Johannes Messinger, Murray Badger, Thomas J. Wydrzynski, and Warwick Hillier describe how Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry can be employed for analyzing substrate-water binding in Photosystem II, characterizing carbonic anhydrase activity of photosynthetic samples and for measuring oxygen and hydrogen production of biological and artificial catalysts. Exciting ways toward Biological Hydrogen Production are outlined by Anja C. Hemschemeier, Anastasios Melis, and Thomas Happe, and finally Fraser A.