Bacteriochlorophyll aggregates in positively charged micelles

Gottstein, J.; Scherz, A.; Scheer, Hugo (1993): Bacteriochlorophyll aggregates in positively charged micelles. In: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics, Vol. 1183, No. 2: pp. 413-416

Abstract

Micellar complexes were prepared from bacteriochlorophyll a and bacteriopheophytin a with the cationic detergents, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide and cetylpyridinium chloride. These complexes have spectroscopic properties (absorption, circular dichroism) which are very different from the ones formed with non-ionic detergents like Triton X-100, and also with anionic detergents. Bacteriochlorophyll a forms two complexes: One is blue-shifted and has excitonically coupled Qy transitions. The second one is extremely red-shifted. The unusual properties are suggested to result from interactions of the positively charged head-group of the detergent with the tetrapyrrole.

• Item Type: Article
• Keywords: Photosynthesis; Chlorophyll; Micelle; Aggregation; Self-organization; Detergent action
• Faculties: Biology
• Subjects: 500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology