Chlorophylls and Carotenoids: Measurement and Characterization by UV‐VIS Spectroscopy

Abstract

The quantitative determination of chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b, and carotenoids in a wholepigment extract of green plant tissue by UVVIS spectroscopy is complicated by the choice of sample, solvent system, and spectrophotometer used. The various plant pigments absorb light in overlapping spectral regions, depending on the system selected. This unit discusses methods used to account for such overlap by applying equations for accurate quantitative determination of Chl a, Chl b, and total carotenoids in the same pigment extract of leaves or fruits. General information on the spectroscopic characteristics of Chl a and Chl b, their specific absorption coefficients, and their quantitative determination in a whole-pigment extract of green plant tissues can be found in Sestak (1971) and Lichtenthaler (1987). For Chl structures, see UNIT F4.1.