Spectroscopic Studies of a Water-soluble Derivative of Hypocrellin A and Its One- and Two-Electron Reduction Products

In this study the spectroscopic characteristics of a water-soluble derivative of hypocrellin A (HA), 14-dehydroxy-15-deacetyl-hypocrellin A-13-sulfonate(13-SO3Na-DDHA),and its one- and two-electron reduction products have been investigated. From the changes in absorbance with pH it was observed that the two phenolic hydroxy groups at C-3 and C-10 positions of 13-SO3Na-DDHA or HA dissociated stepwise with increase of pH values. The pKa values for 13-SO3Na-DDHA and HA were determined using an effective method established in this study. Attempts were also made to use absorption and ESR spectroscopies to study the photoreduction of 13-SO3Na-DDHA. It was found that 13-SO3Na-DDHA was directly reduced to its two-electron reduction product in buffered aqueous solution (pH 7. 7). However, in DMF-buffer (1 :1/ v : v,pH 7. 7), it proceeded with one-electron reduction to generate its semiquinone radical anions. The semiquinone radical anions decayed according to second-order kinetics. indicating that the terminatio

Spectroscopic Studies of a Water-soluble Derivative of Hypocrellin A and Its One- and Two-Electron Reduction Products

In this study the spectroscopic characteristics of a water-soluble derivative of hypocrellin A (HA), 14-dehydroxy-15-deacetyl-hypocrellin A-13-sulfonate(13-SO3Na-DDHA),and its one- and two-electron reduction products have been investigated. From the changes in absorbance with pH it was observed that the two phenolic hydroxy groups at C-3 and C-10 positions of 13-SO3Na-DDHA or HA dissociated stepwise with increase of pH values. The pKa values for 13-SO3Na-DDHA and HA were determined using an effective method established in this study. Attempts were also made to use absorption and ESR spectroscopies to study the photoreduction of 13-SO3Na-DDHA. It was found that 13-SO3Na-DDHA was directly reduced to its two-electron reduction product in buffered aqueous solution (pH 7. 7). However, in DMF-buffer (1 :1/ v : v,pH 7. 7), it proceeded with one-electron reduction to generate its semiquinone radical anions. The semiquinone radical anions decayed according to second-order kinetics. indicating that the termination went through protonation and disproportionation of the radical anions. Despite of four pheholic hydroxy groups in the molecule of the two-electron reduction product only two hydroxy groups seem to dissociate with increase of pH. This reflects that strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds are probably formed in the mono- and dian-ionic forms of the two-electron reduction product.