Spectroscopic study of the n‐π* transition of oriented poly (γ‐benzyl L‐glutamate) in solution

Circular dichroism, optical rotation, and ultraviolet absorption studies have been carried out on oriented solutions of poly(γ‐benzyl L‐glutamate). The orientation of the molecules was achieved by use of an electric field parallel to the direction of propagation of the light wave. This was possible because of the design of conducting electrodes which are largely transparent in the ultraviolet. It was accomplished by putting a very thin coating of stannous oxide on optical silica. The results of these measurements show that the magnitude of the circular dichroism and optical rotation decrease substantially in the n ‐π * region of the ultraviolet (∼ 2200 Å). The decrease agrees with the calculation of Woody and Tinoco.