CHEMILUMINESCENCE OF CHLOROPHYLL in VltrO 



47 



tion with Dr. James H. C. Smith of the Carnegie Institution of Wash- 

 ington indicate that these changes in absorption are catalyzed by the 

 presence of minute quantities of aldehyde. The changes are illustrated 

 in Fig. 2. Attempts to isolate the newly formed colored compound (s?) 

 have thus far been unsuccessful. A number of products derived from 

 chlorophyll were separated by column chromatography, but the 



L 



I I 



525mu 64 2mu 666mu 



Increasing Wavelength 



Fig. 2. Spectral changes during the himinescent reaction. Curve A, original 

 solution — chlorophyll in basic methanol. Curve B, after 9 minutes in base. Curve 

 C, 2 minutes after adding formaldehyde. Curve D, 25 minutes after adding form- 

 aldehyde. Concentrations as in Fig. 1. 



quantities were too small to permit identification of their demag- 

 nesiated forms, and it is uncertain whether the several products are 

 the result of the luminescent reaction or of the subsequent treatment 

 of the pigments. 



A possible mechanism for these chemiluminescences consistent with 

 the present facts and the known chemistry of chlorophyll is the follow- 

 ing: 



