Studies on Chlorophyll of Marine Algae-III

Chlorophyll c of Brown Sea-weed

Abstract

Chlorophyll a and c in twelve species of brown algae were extracted with acetone and determined spectroscopically accorrding to the formula of J_EFFERY et al. Chlorophyll c was found to be over 100mg/100g dry basis in the frond of Undaria pinnatifida, Sargassum fulvellum and S. confusum, but far lower in the rest of the species examined. Molar ratio of chlorophyll c to chlorophyll a ranged 1.89-9.73 by the species and the part of the bodies examined. Chlorophyll c in dried Undaria pinnatifida in the market was higher in highly graded products but lower or absent in onrdinary and low graded products.
An experiment was carried out to purify chlorophyll c from fresh Undaria. A black precipitate acquired after cellulose column chromatography was further chromatographed with polyethylene column and elutriated with acetone and pyridine giving two substances consindered to be chlorophyll c₁ and c₂, respectively.