Temperature-programmed high performance liquid chromatography separation of mono- and divinyl chlorophyll forms from marine phytoplankton

Summary Divinyl chlorophyll a (a₂) and divinyl chlorophyll b (b₂) are chemotaxonomic marker pigments for the marine prochlorophytes, and can be used to study their distribution in marine samples. In this paper we report a baseline resolution of mono- and divinyl forms of chlorophylls a and b employing polymeric ODS stationary phases at sub-ambient temperatures. The simultaneous resolution of mono- and divinyl forms of chlorophylls a and b, chlorophylls c₁, c₂, c₃, Mg 3,8-divinylphaeoporphyrin a₅ monomethyl ester (MgDVP), and phytol-substituted chlorophylls c was achieved when a temperature step gradient was employed during the analysis. An example is given of the utility of the protocol in oceanic field samples.     

UPLC-UV-MSE analysis for quantification and identification of major carotenoid and chlorophyll species in algae

A fast method for quantification and identification of carotenoid and chlorophyll species utilizing liquid chromatography coupled with UV detection and mass spectrometry has been demonstrated and validated for the analysis of algae samples. This method allows quantification of targeted pigments and identification of unexpected compounds, providing isomers separation, UV detection, accurate mass measurements, and study of fragment ions for structural elucidation in a single run. This is possible using parallel alternating low- and high-energy collision spectral acquisition modes, which provide accurate mass full scan chromatograms and accurate mass high-energy chromatograms. Here, it is shown how this approach can be used to confirm carotenoid and chlorophyll species by identification of key diagnostic fragmentations during high-energy mode. The developed method was successfully applied for the analysis of Dunaliella salina samples during defined red LED lighting growth conditions, identifying 37 pigments including 19 carotenoid species and 18 chlorophyll species, and providing quantification of 7 targeted compounds. Limit of detections for targeted pigments ranged from 0.01?ng/mL for lutein to 0.24?ng/mL for chlorophyll a. Inter-run precision ranged for of 3 to 24 (RSD%) while inter-run inaccuracy ranged from ?17 to 11.

Off-line separation and determination of rare earth elements associated with chloroplast pigments of hyperaccumulator Dicranopteris dichotoma by normal-phase liquid chromatography and ICP–MS

An off-line normal-phase liquid chromatography–ICP–MS method has been used for separation and determination of the rare earth elements (REE) associated with chloroplast pigments of Dicranopteris dichotoma. The stability of REE-bound pigments was tested, and almost no destruction of REE-bound pigments occurred during the so-called normal-phase liquid chromatography. The accumulated free REE ions on the microcrystalline cellulose column were cleaned by elution with 5 mmol L^–1 2-ethylhexyl hydrogen 2-ethylhexylphosphonate (P507), to avoid exchange of these free ions with metals from the pigments. When these precautions were taken, the method was applied to the study of REE-bound pigments in D. dichotoma. ICP–MS results showed REE were present in chlorophylls and lutein, although REE concentrations in carotene and pheophytin were both below procedural blank levels. By careful analysis of the eluate fractions containing chlorophyll a it was found that REE-bound chlorophyll a in D. dichotoma was slightly enriched in the fractions with relatively short retention time. Results indicated that the retention time of REE-bound chlorophyll a might be slightly less than that of magnesium chlorophyll a, and REE-bound chlorophylls might be of relatively low polarity in comparison with magnesium bound chlorophylls. This phenomenon could be explained by the special double-decker sandwich-structure of REE-bound chlorophylls, as was reported by us and other authors. On the basis of these results we preferred to consider that REE can replace magnesium in chlorophyll a of D. dichotoma, and that the role of REE-bound chlorophylls in photosynthesis cannot be neglected. These data might be useful for understanding of both the properties of REE-bound pigments and the effect of REE on plant photosynthesis.     

Separation of Photosynthetic Pigments by High-performance Liquid Chromatography: Comparison of Column Performance,Mobile Phase,and Temperature

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been commonly used as method of separating and identifying photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophylls and carotenoids because of such advantages as speed, high resolution and sensitivity. In this technique, high separation relies largely on the type of column material. This study compared the efficiency of five reverse-phase columns, C8, C18, C18 monolithic, π-NAP, and cholester, for separation of photosynthetic pigments at several fixed conditions of mobile phase and temperature. This investigation also analysed the parameters of Δt_R and t_R ratio for selected pigments and resolution for structural isomers, such as α- and β-carotene. Among above columns tested, cholester column is suitable for separation of pigments not only for a broad range of polarity, but also for hydrophobic pigments in a simple mobile phase. This finding can help in the selection of column and HPLC parameters in separating photosynthetic pigments.     

High performance liquid chromatographic analysis of phytoplankton pigments using a C16-amide column

In this study, a reverse-phase HPLC method incorporating a ternary solvent system was developed to analyze most polar and non-polar chlorophylls and carotenoids present in phytoplankton. The method is based on an RP-C₁₆-Amide column and provided excellent peak resolution of most taxonomically important pigments and an elution profile different than C₈ or C₁₈ columns provide. Analysis of mixed pigment standards, extracts of phytoplankton monocultures, and field samples showed that this method was able to resolve more than sixty pigments, ranging from very polar acidic chlorophylls to the non-polar hydrocarbon carotenes in less than 36 min. This included chlorophylls c₁, c₂ and c₃, divinyl chlorophylls a and b, the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin and some recently discovered pigments. The ability of this method to resolve divinyl chl b from monovinyl chl b and divinyl chl a from monovinyl chl a is particularly important for the quantification and identification of the marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus spp. in oceanic waters. The described protocol is sensitive and reproducible and can be used to assess the distribution and dynamics of major phytoplankton groups in marine and freshwater ecosystems.     

The determination of phytoplankton pigments by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple high-performance liquid Chromatographic method is described for the determination of chlorophylls, chlorophyll degradation products, and carotenoids in phyto-plankton cultures and marine particulate matter. Pigment extraction is carried out with acetone and methanol. After evaporation of the combined extracts under reduced pressure, the pigments are separated on a Partisil-10 stationary phase with a mobile phase consisting of light petroleum (b.p. 60–80°C), acetone, dimethyl sulphoxide and diethylamine(75: 23.25:1.5: 0.25 by volume). When chlorophyll c is present, a further development is performed with a similar, but more polar, solvent mixture. Detection is carried out spectrophotometrically at 440 nm. The method has a sensitivity for the chlorophylls of ca. 80 ng, and for carotene of ca. 5 ng. The coefficient of variation of the Chromatographic stage of the procedure lies in the range 0.6–1.8%.     

Effect of drying temperature and blanching on the degradation of chlorophyll a and b in mint (Mentha spicata Huds.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum): Analysis by high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection

Summary The effect of drying conditions on the preservation of chlorophyll pigments in mint and basil have been investigated in order to determine the effects of drying temperature and whether or not there was a prior blanching.Pigments extracted from fresh and dried samples were analyzed by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a photodiode array detector; isocratic separation was performed on a Zorbax ODS C18 column.The purity of the chromatographic peaks of chlorophylls and breakdown products was investigated. The visible spectra of standard samples of chlorophylls and pheophytins were compared, using least squares normalization with those of peaks from the extracts of fresh and dried mint and basil. The study has shown that chlorophylls were better preserved when drying was preceded by a short blanching; if samples were not blanched before drying, the degradation of chlorophylls a and b was best prevented by drying at low temperatures.     

An improved HPLC system for the analysis of photosynthetic pigments

Summary A high performance liquid chromatography system for the analysis of photosynthetic pigments is presented. The method employs an octadecylsilica stationary phase, a programmed quaternary mobile phase consisting of mixtures of methanol, acetonitrile, water and hexane, and a photodiode array detector. Carotenoids and chlorophylls are rapidly analysed in a single chromatographic separation. Thecis-trans isomers of most carotenoids are separated by this method.     

Separation of Chlorophylls and Their Degradation Products using Packed Column Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC)

Complex mixtures of chlorophyll degradation products may arise during processing and storage of vegetable oil and green plant materials like broccoli and spinach. Determination of these compounds is important in the area of food chemistry. Therefore a method using packed column supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has been developed. The method comprises chromatography using a simple gradient of methanol in carbon dioxide at constant column back pressure of 30 MPa and a column temperature of 40°C. Effects of pressure and mobile phase composition showed the importance of applying a modifier gradient for optimal separation of the chlorophyll products. The method permits separation of 15 chlorophyll derivatives including chlorophyll a and b, pheophytins, and pyropheophytins on a C₁₈ column in about 20 minutes. Identifications of the individual peaks were based on reference compounds, the retention order of the compounds, and their absorption spectra.     

高效液相色谱法测定藻类中的类胡萝卜素和叶绿素

提出了用高效液相色谱法测定藻类中类胡萝卜素和叶绿素的方法。采用丙国等有机溶剂提取藻类中的类胡萝卜素和叶绿素,然后在反相C18柱上进行分离。流动相选用二氯甲烷／乙腈／甲醇／水（22.5:9.5:67.5:0.5）,流速为1.0mL／min。用光度检测器检测报长为450um。叶黄素、α-胡萝卜素、β-胡萝卜素、叶绿素a和叶绿素b的平均回收串分别为99.1％,98.5％,99.4％,100.6％和99.9％,相对标准偏差分别为2.4％,5.6％,6.0％,4.1％和4.0％。     

Chlorophylls: A Personal Snapshot

Chlorophylls provide the basis for photosynthesis and thereby most life on Earth. Besides their involvement in primary charge separation in the reaction center, they serve as light-harvesting and light-sensing pigments, they also have additional functions, e.g., in inter-system electron transfer. Chlorophylls also have a wealth of applications in basic science, medicine, as colorants and, possibly, in optoelectronics. Considering that there has been more than 200 years of chlorophyll research, one would think that all has been said on these pigments. However, the opposite is true: ongoing research evidenced in this Special Issue brings together current work on chlorophylls and on their carotenoid counterparts. These introductory notes give a very brief and in part personal account of the history of chlorophyll research and applications, before concluding with a snapshot of this year’s publications.     

Characterization of the pigment fraction in sweet bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) harvested at green and overripe yellow and red stages by offline multidimensional convergence chromatography/liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Offline multidimensional supercritical fluid chromatography combined with reversed‐phase liquid chromatography was employed for the carotenoid and chlorophyll characterization in different sweet bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) for the first time. The first dimension consisted of an Acquity HSS C₁₈ SB (100 × 3 mm id, 1.8 μm particles) column operated with a supercritical mobile phase in an ultra‐performance convergence chromatography system, whereas the second dimension was performed in reversed‐phase mode with a C₃₀ (250 × 4.6 mm id, 3.0 μm particles) stationary phase combined with photodiode array and mass spectrometry detection. This approach allowed the determination of 115 different compounds belonging to chlorophylls, free xanthophylls, free carotenes, xanthophyll monoesters, and xanthophyll diesters, and proved to be a significant improvement in the pigments determination compared to the conventional one‐dimensional liquid chromatography approach so far applied to the carotenoid analysis in the studied species. Moreover, the present study also aimed to investigate and to compare the carotenoid stability and composition in overripe yellow and red bell peppers collected directly from the plant, thus also evaluating whether biochemical changes are linked to carotenoid degradation in the nonclimacteric investigated fruits, for the first time.     

Primary processes in plant photosynthesis: photosystem I reaction center

The photosystem I (PSI) pigment-protein complex of plants converts light energy into a transmembrane charge separation, which ultimately leads to the reduction of carbon dioxide. Recent studies on the dynamics of primary energy transfer, charge separation, and following electron transfer of the reaction center (RC) of the PSI prepared from spinach are reviewed. The main results of femtosecond transient absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies as applied to the P700-enchied PSI RC are summarized. This specially prepared material contains only 12–14 chlorophylls per P700, which is a special pair of chlorophyll a and has a significant role in primary charge separation. The P700-enriched particles are useful to study dynamics of cofactors, since about 100 light-harvesting chlorophylls are associated with wild PSI RC and prevent one from observing the elementary steps of the charge separation. In PSI RC energy and electron transfer were found to be strongly coupled and an ultrafast up-hill energy equilibration and charge separation were observed upon preferential excitation of P700. The secondary electron-transfer dynamics from the reduced primary electron acceptor chlorophyll a to quinone are described. With creating free energy differences (ΔG₀) for the reaction by reconstituting various artificial quinones and quinoids, the rate of electron transfer was measured. Analysis of rates versus ΔG₀ according to the quantum theory of electron transfer gave the reorganization energy, electronic coupling energy and other factors. It was shown that the natural quinones are optimized in the photosynthetic protein complexes. The above results were compared with those of photosynthetic purple bacteria, of which the structure and functions have been studied most.     

The Use of High Pressure Liquid Chromatography for the Identification and Preparation of Pigments Concerned in Photosynthesis

Abstract

The chlorophylls and carotenoids present in preparations from chloroplasts of marine algae can be extracted and separated by high pressure liquid chromatography (H.P.L.C.). The reverse-phase columns; Partisil 10 ODS (Whatman), μ Bondapak C18 and μ Bondapak CN (Waters Associates) gave good separation of the different pigments. Addition of the ion-pairing agent tetrabutylamnonium phosphate to the methanol/water solvents gave improved separations with complex mixtures and identification was facilitated by examination of the column eluant at 440nm where a ll the pigments absorbed and at 650nm where only chlorophylls absorbed. The method allowed the isolation of individual pigments for further study.     

Expanded separation technique for chlorophyll metabolites in Oriental tobacco leaf using non aqueous reversed phase chromatography

An improved separation method for chlorophyll metabolites in Oriental tobacco leaf was developed. While Oriental leaf still gives the green color even after the curing process, little attention has been paid to the detailed composition of the remaining green pigments. This study aimed to identify the green pigments using non aqueous reversed phase chromatography (NARPC). To this end, liquid chromatograph (LC) equipped with a photo diode array detector (DAD) and an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectrometer (APCI/MSD) was selected, because it is useful for detecting low polar non-volatile compounds giving green color such as pheophytin a. Identification was based on the wavelength spectrum, mass spectrum and retention time, comparing the analytes in Oriental leaf with the commercially available and synthesized components. Consequently, several chlorophyll metabolites such as hydroxypheophytin a, solanesyl pheophorbide a and solanesyl hydroxypheophorbide a were newly identified, in addition to typical green pigments such as chlorophyll a and pheophytin a. Chlorophyll metabolites bound to solanesol were considered the tobacco specific components. NARPC expanded the number of detectable low polar chlorophyll metabolites in Oriental tobacco leaf.     

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of mono- and divinyl chlorophyll forms using pyridine-containing mobile phases and a polymeric octadecylsilica column

Summary The separation of chlorophyll forms was studied employing a wide bore polymeric octadecylsilica column and pyridine containing mobile phases, giving consideration to considering the influence of mobile phase composition and column temperature on the resolution of monovinyl forms from their divinyl analogues. A method involving gradient elution and operating at 15°C is proposed for the separation of several polar and non-polar mono- and divinyl chlorophylls from etiolated tissues of higher plants and from marine phytoplankton. The advantages of pyridine as a mobile phase additive in the reversed-phase liquid chromatography of chlorophylls are discussed.     

Modulated DSC studies of Pb1−X Ca X TiO3 ferroelectric ceramics

The polycrystalline ceramic samples of general formula Pb_1?X Ca _X TiO₃ with X = 0.00, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 have been synthesized by standard high temperature solid state reaction method using high purity oxide and carbonates. The formation of the single phase compounds have been checked by X-ray diffraction technique. The Modulated Differential Scanning Calorimetry has been used to investigate the effect of substitution on the phase transition temperature and the corresponding change on the enthalpy and other thermal parameters of the substituted compound/solid solutions. It was observed that the phase transition temperature (T _c ) decreases linearly with the increase of substitution concentration. The linear decrease in T _c with increase of substitution concentration may be useful for the eventual functionality of the materials for different ferroelectric devices. The results are discussed in detail.     

HPLC separation and fluorimetric estimation of chlorophylls and pheophytins in fresh and frozen peas

Summary A HPLC method for the separation and estimation of chlorophylls and pheophytins in fresh and frozen peas was assessed with the aim of following the colour changes of the products during storage under frozen conditions.The method involves the acetone extraction of the pigments, followed by HPLC on RP18 with isocratic elution by acetone: ethanol:water, (70:17:13), detecting and estimating the separated compounds by fluorimetry. The mobile phase composition was selected by monitoring the separation efficiency of several mixtures of solvents by HPLC. The reliability and the accuracy of the method were checked.     

Chlorophyll bleaching by UV-irradiation in vitro and in situ: Absorption and fluorescence studies

Chlorophyll bleaching by UV-irradiation has been studied by absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy in extracts containing mixtures of photosynthetic pigments, in acetone and n-hexane solutions, and in aqueous thylakoid suspensions. Chlorophyll undergoes destruction (bleaching) accompanied by fluorescent transient formation obeying first-order kinetics. The bleaching is governed by UV-photon energy input, as well as by different chlorophyll molecular organizations in solvents of different polarities (in vitro), and in thylakoids (in situ). UV-C-induced bleaching of chlorophylls in thylakoids is probably caused by different mechanisms compared to UV-A- and UV-B-induced bleaching.     

An Improved Method for the Preparation of Chlorophyll by Means of Column Chromatography with Sepharose CL-6B

Abstract

An improved method for the preparation of chlorophyll “a” and chlorophyll “b” from fresh spinach leaves by means of the column chromatography with Sepharose CL-6B has been developed. A good separation of the green pigments was attained on the column (φ25 × 163 mm) with a mixed solvent program of 2, 3, 10 and 20 % 2-propanol in hexane.