Circular and linear dichroism of aggregates of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in 3-methylpentane and paraffin oil.

A circular (CD) and linear dichroism (LD) study of the water adducts of the green plant chlorophylls a (Chl a) and b (Chl b) in hydrocarbon solvents 3-methylpentane and paraffin oil is presented. A strong red shift of the Qy-absorption band from 663 to 746 nm (1678 cm−1) is observed as the water adduct of Chl a is formed. The Chl a-water adduct shows a strong, nonconservative CD signal, which is characterized by a positive peak at 748 nm and two negative peaks at 720 and 771 nm. The maximum CD (AL - AR) is only one order of magnitude smaller than the isotropic absorption maximum. We propose that this exceptionally strong signal is the so-called psi-type CD. The LD spectrum was measured in a…