ASSIMILATION OF CARBON 9 



method of Monteverde,i these crystals may be obtained by treatment of tritu- 

 rated leaves with 95 per cent, ethyl alcohol; after an hour the extract is filtered 

 and the alcohol is removed by evaporation, either in air or in hydrogen. The 

 crystals are separated from impurities and from the yellow pigments by means 

 of distUled water and benzine. In the pure condition they form a dark green, 

 almost black powder, with a bluish metallic luster. Their alcoholic solution is 

 green, with a beautiful red fluorescence. Although the solution is unstable in 

 light, the crystals can endure intense Ught for a long time without change. The 

 following plants serve especially well as sources of ethyl chlorophyllide in the 

 crystalline condition: Dianthus barhatus, Lathyrus odoratus, Galeopsis versicolor, 

 G. tetrahit, Acacia lophantha, and Dahlia variabilis. Amorphous chlorophyll 

 may be obtained from many other plants. Willstatter and Benz^ obtained 

 over 2 g. of ethyl chlorophyllide from i kg. of dry leaves. 



ajB C 



Fig. 4. — Absorption spectrum of ethyl chlorophyllide, o.i g. in s 1. of alcohol. (After 

 ■ Willstdtier.) The thickness of the layer employed is shown (in millimeters) at the left, the 

 conventional letters of the Fraunhofer lines are at the top, and the wave-lengths (in lo liii) 

 are indicated below. 



The absorption spectrum of chlorophyll deserves special attention. Light 

 of certain ranges of wave-length is more or less completely absorbed by the 

 solution, so that dark bands appear in the spectrum. The absorption spectrum 

 of every colored solution changes with its concentration. On this account the 

 spectrum of chlorophyll solution must be determined either throughout a range 

 of concentrations or by using layers of various thicknesses. Six absorption 

 bands are found in the spectrum (Fig. 4) of ethyl chlorophyllide; arranged ac- 

 cording to their intensities, they form the series: I, VI, V, II, III, IV. The 

 first band, lying between the Fraunhofer lines B and C, is the most distinct; it 

 appears in solutions of weaker concentration than are necessary to make the 

 others evident. The absorption bands become broader with increasing con- 



1 Monteverde, N. A., Uber das Protochlorophyll. Acta Horti Petropolitani 13: 199-217. 1894. 

 Borodin had obtained crystals from cHorophyll before they were described by Monteverde. See: Borodin, 

 J., Ueber Chlorophyllkrystalle. Hot. Zeitg. 40: 608-610, 622-626. 1882. 



' Willstatter and Benz, 1908. [See note i, p. 7-1 



