Retinyl-1 is a synthetic carotenoid analogue belonging to the retinal analogues family. It has six conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds with a carbonyl group conjugated to the pi-electron system. Presence of the carbonyl group in vicinity of the conjugated carbon-carbon backbone leads to unique excited state properties that are extremely sensitive to solvent polarity and temperature. The simplicity of the synthesis of Retinyl-1 and ease of attachment to synthetic tetrapyrrole chromophores make Retinyl-1 attractive for use in artificial photosynthetic systems. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.