Identification

Abstract

Chlorophylls a and b and the corresponding pheophytins, chlorophyliides, pheophorbides, aad py-ropheophytins were extracted from fresh spinach leaves or heat-treated spinach tissue, and zinc pfaeophytin a and zinc pyropheophytin a were prepared from pheophytin a and pyropheophytin a, respectively. Following separation using either reversed- or normal-phase HPLC, the molecular weight of each chlorophyll derivative was confirmed by positive ion fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry. The isotope pattern of each molecular ion indicated whether or not the chlorophyll derivative contained magnesium or zinc. Next, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) following collisional activation was used to obtain structural information that characterized each ciass of chlorophyll with respect to the presence or absence of the phytyl chain and the β-keto ester group on C-10. These HPLC and mass spectrometric data will serve as useful references for the isolation and structural determination of chlorophyll derivatives from synthetic or natural sources. © 1991 American Chemical Society.