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. 1977 Aug;60(2):277–281. doi: 10.1104/pp.60.2.277

Chlorophyll Destruction by the Bisulfite-Oxygen System 1

Galen D Peiser a, Shang Fa Yang a
PMCID: PMC542595  PMID: 16660075

Abstract

Destruction of chlorophyll, as determined by the loss in absorbance at 665 nm, occurred in two in vitro systems in the presence of bisulfite in 76% ethanol. The first system required light and O2 in addition to bisulfite and exhibited an optimum pH of 4. Chlorophyll functioned as a photosensitizer and there was little chlorophyll destruction occurring above pH 5. With 286 μeinsteins m−2 irradiation, approximately 80% of the chlorophyll was destroyed in three minutes. In the second system, chlorophyll destruction in the presence of bisulfite occurred in the dark and required Mn2+, O2, and glycine. Destruction of chlorophyll in this system was much more rapid than in the light system with approximately 70% destruction occurring in two seconds. In both systems, chlorophyll destruction was linked to bisulfite oxidation. The free radical scavengers hydroquinone, butylated hydroxytoluene, 1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulfonic acid, and α-tocopherol were effective in inhibiting the destruction of chlorophyll in both systems. The singlet O2 scavengers, 2,5-dimethylfuran and 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran, were ineffective inhibitors and β-carotene only slightly effective when tested in the light system. The evidence suggests that in these two systems chlorophyll was destroyed by free radicals, probably superoxide radical, which was produced during the aerobic oxidation of bisulfite.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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