Bleaching of chlorophylls by UV irradiation in vitro: The effects on chlorophyll organization in acetone and n-hexane

Abstract

The stability of chlorophylls toward UV irradiation was studied by Vis spectrophotometry in extracts containing mixtures of photosynthetic pigments in acetone and n-hexane. The chlorophylls underwent destruction (bleaching) obeying first-order kinetics. The bleaching was governed by three major factors: the energy input of the UV photons, the concentration of the chlorophylls and the polarity of the solvent, implying different molecular organizations of the chlorophylls in the two solvents.