ANALYSIS OF PLANT EXTRACTS FOR CHLOROPHYLLS a AND b BY A PHOTOELECTRIC SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD

Abstract

Summary A simple, rapid, and accurate spectroscopic method for the determina-tioni of chlorophylls a and b in plant materials has been described. An acetone extract is made from fresh leaf material. The fat-soluble pigments are transferred to ether, the acetone removed, and the solution dried with sodium sulphate. Spectroscopic analysis for chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b is made at wavelengths 6600 and 6425 A. The reliability of values obtained from other wavelengths depends considerably upon the carotenoid content. The chemical precautions and instrumental conditions essential for quantitative results have been discussed. The method has been applied to twelve different plant sources.