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We have observed the high resolution fluorescence excitation spectrum of the molecule tryptamine in the gas phase. At low resolution the spectrum contains six features which have been assigned as the origins of different conformers of the tryptamine molecule. At high resolution the rotational structure in each of these features has been resolved, and the rotational structure of five of the features has been analyzed. This analysis has provided information about the geometries of the different conformers. Two conformers, labeled A and F, have the amino group of the molecule gauche to the indole ring, while conformer D has the amino group nearly eclipsed by the indole ring. Conformer B has a rotational structure identical to that of conformer A, while the rotational structure of conformer E is identical to that of conformer D. It is suggested that the pairs of conformers with identical rotational structure are related to each other by rotation about the Cα–N bond, such a rotation moving only hydrogen atoms. Feature C consists of two overlapped conformers, and it is suggested that these conformers have the amino group trans to the indole ring. The direction of the transition moment is measured for five of the conformers and is found to be identical for all conformers within the precision of the measurement. The direction of the transition moment indicates that the transition is to the 1Lb excited electronic state.

We demonstrate how holographic video microscopy can be used to detect, count, and characterize individual micrometer-scale protein aggregates as they flow down a microfluidic channel in their native buffer. Holographic characterization directly measures the radius and refractive index of subvisible protein aggregates and offers insights into their morphologies. The measurement proceeds fast enough to build up population averages for time-resolved studies and lends itself to tracking trends in protein aggregation arising from changing environmental factors. Information on individual particle’s refractive indexes can be used to differentiate protein aggregates from such contaminants as silicone droplets. These capabilities are demonstrated through measurements on samples of bovine pancreas insulin aggregated through centrifugation and of bovine serum albumin aggregated by complexation with a polyelectrolyte. Differentiation is demonstrated with samples that have been spiked with separately characterized silicone spheres. Holographic characterization measurements are compared with results obtained with microflow imaging and dynamic light scattering.

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