Contribution of methyls in retinal side chain to regioselective photoisomerization of retinochromes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/cl.1999.1051

All-trans-9-demethyl-11-methylretinal was synthesized to elucidate the chromophoric interaction between hydrophobic part in retinochrome and 9-methyl substituent of retinal. Photoirradiation of its pigment efficiently gave the 11-cis-isomer in 90% regiose