PLANT METABOLISM 



389 



solvents, such as methanol plus water, effectively extract chlorophyll 

 from plants because the water breaks the linkage of the protein, and 

 the organic solvent, the linkage of the lipide to the chlorophyll molecule. 



40U ^ 500 600 



Blue Wave Length, millimicrons Red 



From Zscheile and Comar (1941). 



Fig. 15-2. Extinction curve for chlorophyll a in ethyl ether. 



The exact nature of the native chlorophyll complex is unknown, but 

 apparently this lipoprotein has a molecular weight of 19,000 and contains 

 two molecules of chlorophyll, about 40 per cent lipide and 8.5 per cent 

 nitrogen. 



CH=CH2 CHj 

 I H I 

 ,C. .C. C.. 



HaC-C^) I 





.c- 



H3C— C.(s) IV 

 H 



" (4)C-CH2CH3 



N N=^C 

 \ .' \ 



■N N — a 



III (5)C— CHj 



CII c c 



I 



c=o 



H.,C HC 



"I I 



H.C C=0 



H3oC,o-0-C-=0 OCHj 



Fig. 15-3. Chlorophyll a. 



