In recent years, electronic structure calculations have located numerous photochemical reactions in the condensed phase that are predicted to proceed through conical intersections; while some kinetic data exist to bolster theses claims, direct evidence for the presence of conical intersections in the condensed phase is scarce. Our research focuses on leveraging precise theoretical predictions of the conical intersections structures to predict, identify, and characterize these structures with the ultimate goal of rationally controlling photoreactivity. We intend to employ laser spectroscopy to watch the reactions, then to invoke theoretical modeling to understand the data and to locate new substrates. As we move into the spectroscopy of branching reactions, we intend to manipulate macromolecular chaperones to attempt to steer and control the photochemistry through:
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