We can extract chlorophyll using different solvent like DMF, ethanol, acetone etc., but what is the the exact mechanism for acetone?
According H. K. LICHTENTHALER (see below) chlorophylls possess a phytyl chain which is bound to a porphyfin ring system. The possession of the phytyl side chain, which is esterified to the carboxyl group of the ring, gives the chlorophylls their lipid character.
Moreover, chlorophylls are fat-soluble compounds that can be extracted from water-containing living plant tissue by organic solvents such as acetone, methanol, or ethanol, which can take up water. Though aqueous solutions of these solvents are also suitable (and may sometimes be preferable) for extraction, their water content should not exceed 5 or 10%. The widely used method to extract isolated chloroplasts by 80% aqueous acetone does not fully extract the less polar pigment chlorophyll a. An addition step of extraction with 100% acetone is needed to guarantee complete extraction.
H. K. LICHTENTHALER, 1987. Chlorophylls and Carotenoids: Pigments of Photosynthetic Biomembranes. METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY, VOL. 148, pp 350-382.
According H. K. LICHTENTHALER (see below) chlorophylls possess a phytyl chain which is bound to a porphyfin ring system. The possession of the phytyl side chain, which is esterified to the carboxyl group of the ring, gives the chlorophylls their lipid character.
Moreover, chlorophylls are fat-soluble compounds that can be extracted from water-containing living plant tissue by organic solvents such as acetone, methanol, or ethanol, which can take up water. Though aqueous solutions of these solvents are also suitable (and may sometimes be preferable) for extraction, their water content should not exceed 5 or 10%. The widely used method to extract isolated chloroplasts by 80% aqueous acetone does not fully extract the less polar pigment chlorophyll a. An addition step of extraction with 100% acetone is needed to guarantee complete extraction.
H. K. LICHTENTHALER, 1987. Chlorophylls and Carotenoids: Pigments of Photosynthetic Biomembranes. METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY, VOL. 148, pp 350-382.
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