2023 chapter
Core chromophores of native photosynthetic pigments
In J. M. H. Hou & S. I. Allakhverdiev (Eds.), Photosynthesis (Vol. 3, pp. 33–48).
Ed(s): J. Hou & S. Allakhverdiev
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
2. Zero Hunger
(OpenAlex)
Source: ORCID
Added: September 13, 2023
The patina of pigments that envelops Earth and enables photosynthesis to power the biosphere is chiefly comprised of chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls. Such pigments, which contain a porphyrin, chlorin, or bacteriochlorin chromophore, underpin a rich collection of fundamental phenomena: absorption of ambient light, excited-state energy and electron transfer, and ground-state electron and hole transfer. The present chapter (1) outlines the chemical synthesis of naked porphyrin, chlorin, and bacteriochlorin macrocycles that are devoid of peripheral substituents, and (2) compares the absorption spectra of the naked chromophores with those of the native macrocycles. The synthetic and comparative spectral studies provide the basis for deep insight into the features of the native chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls, which are deservedly regarded as celestial molecules in the photosciences firmament.
