Abstract
Bacteriochlorophyll c in vivo is a mixture of at least 5 homologs, all of which form aggregates in CH2Cl2, CHCl3 and CCl4. Three homologs exist mainly in the 2-R-(1-hydroxyethyl) configuration, whereas the other two homologs, 4-isobutyl-5-ethyl and 4-isobutyl-5-methyl farnesyl bacteriochlorophyll c, exist mainly in the 2-S-(1-hydroxyethyl) configuration (Smith KM, Craig GW, Kehres LA and Pfennig N (1983) J. Chromatograph. 281: 209–223). In CCl4 the S-homologs form an aggregate of 2–3 molecules whose absorption (747 nm maximum) and circular dichroism spectra resemble those of the chlorosome. In CH2Cl2, CHCl3 and CCl4 the 4-n-propyl homolog (R-configuration) forms dimers absorbing at ca. 680 nm and higher aggregates absorbing at 705–710 nm. In CCl4 the dimerization constant is approx. 10 µM−1 (1000 times that for chlorophyll a). The difference between the types of aggregates formed by the 4-n-propyl and 4-isobutyl homologs is attributed to the difference between the R- and S-configurations of the 2-(1-hydroxyethyl) groups in each chlorophyll.
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Abbreviations
- BChl:
-
bacteriochlorophyll
- CD:
-
circular dichroism
- Chl:
-
chlorophyll
- DNS:
-
data not shown
- EEF:
-
4-ethyl-5-ethyl farnesyl
- iBM/EF:
-
4-isobutyl-5-methyl/ethyl farnesyl
- MEF:
-
4-methyl-5-ethyl farnesyl
- PEP:
-
4-n-propyl-5-ethyl farnesyl
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Olson, J.M., Pedersen, J.P. Bacteriochlorophyll c monomers, dimers, and higher aggregates in dichloromethane, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. Photosynth Res 25, 25–37 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00051733
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00051733