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Biophysical Journal 12: 731-745 (1972)
© 1972 the Biophysical Society

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Migration of Electronic Energy from Chlorophyll b to Chlorophyll a in Solutions

R. K. Bauer, L. Szalay and E. Tombacz

ABSTRACT

Absorption, emission, and fluorescence excitation spectra of pure solutions of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and chlorophyll b (Chl b) in diethyl ether and of equimolecular mixed solutions of the two pigments, were determined at room temperature as functions of concentration (in the range from 5 x 10-6 M to 4 x 10-3 M) and of wavelength of the exciting light (in the regions 380-465 and 550-650 nm). The efficiency of energy transfer from Chl b to Chl a, derived from these data, was found to depend on the wavelength of exciting light. Furthermore, the transfer efficiency calculated from sensitization of Chl a fluorescence by Chl b was substantially smaller than that calculated from quenching of Chl b fluorescence by Chl a. Both these effects are tentatively explained as evidence of superposition of a "fast" energy transfer (taking place before the Boltzmann distribution of vibrational energy had been reached) upon the "delayed" transfer, which takes place after vibrational equilibration. The first-named mechanism is made possible by overlapping of the absorption bands of the two pigments; the second, by overlapping of the emission band of Chl b and the absorption band of Chl a. The first mechanism can lead to repeated transfer of excitation energy between pigment molecules, the second only to a one-time transfer from the donor to the acceptor. Both mechanisms could be of the same, second-order type, with the transfer rate proportional to r-6. An alternative is for the fast mechanism to be of the first order, with the transfer rate proportional to r-3, but spectroscopic evidence seems to make this alternative less probable.






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Copyright © 1972 by the Biophysical Society.