FAR-RED INDUCED, LONG-LIVED AFTERGLOW FROM PHOTOSYNTHETIC CELLS. SIZE OF AFTERGLOW UNIT AND PATHS OF ENERGY ACCUMULATION AND DISSIPATION

Abstract— –Small amounts of N -methyl phenazonium methosulphate (PMS) added to a suspension of Chlorella pyrenoidosa accelerate the emission of the long-lived far-red induced afterglow without greatly changing the amount of light emitted. The effect is noticeable in dilute suspensions at a PMS concentration of 10^-9 M. The concept of afterglow unit is introduced and defined as that part of the sample in which the rate of energy reemission can be controlled by a single molecule of PMS. The number of chlorophyll molecules per afterglow unit is about 10⁵. It is possible that the afterglow unit is identical to the thylakoid.
The rate constant for the final first order decay phase of afterglow at room temperature is about 0.7 min^-1 without PMS and about 3 times larger for a unit with one PMS molecule.
Diuron (DCMU) lowers the rate of afterglow decay. Desaspidin on the other hand decreases the amount of light emitted without affecting the decay rate. Carbonylcyanide- m -chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) decreases the afterglow over the whole time-range and increases the decay rate. A kinetic model is developed to account for the results.