Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 09:54:04 -0600 (CST) From: Chris Teichreb <teichrch@Meena.CC.URegina.CA> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg451$foo@default> Subject: Re: Is chlorophyl light sensitive?
Hi John,
> Hi CPer's
>
> Can anyone tell me whether chlorophyl is light sensitive? i.e. If I were
> to extract chlorophyl from plant material, or, alternatively, to freeze
> dry plant material in order to remove the water but leave the chlorophyl
> behind, would I need to store the resultant products in the dark? In other
> words, could I display freeze dried plant material in an hermetically
> sealed but lighted environment and expect it to stay green??? Does anyone
> know of an alternative to freeze drying for removing water only from plant
> material?
>
> Happy Growing
>
> John Welsh
> jrwelsh @ nutecnet .com .br
>
We work with plant pigments in our lab all the time. Yes,
all the chlorophylls are light sensitive. When exposed to light, they
start to break down into other pigment by-products. Preserved chlorophyll
is also sensitive to oxidation effects. Basically, it's stable when
kept frozen and out of the light and air.
An alternative to freeze drying is using a plant press. Of course,
your specimens are only two-dimensional, but it does get rid of
most of the water.
Regards,
Chris Teichreb
Department of Biology
University of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan, CANADA
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