[Chlorophyll phosphorescence in chloroplasts and their fragments]

Spectral parameters, decay time and quantum yield of low temperature (--196 degrees) delayed luminescence of chloroplasts and chloroplasts fragments have been investigated. It has been shown that the fragments enriched in photosystem 2, photosystem 1 of stroma or grana, obtained by differential centrifugation after digitonin treatment produce a delayed emission with components similar to that of initial chloroplasts, normal leaves and alga; i. e. phosphorescence (maximum 960--980 nm) and delayed fluorescence (maxima at 690 and 740 nm) of chlorophyll and phosphorescence of pigments of different nature (780--820 nm). Excitation spectra of chlorophyll phosphorescence have the maximum at 669 +/- 1 nm and shoulder at 650 nm. The quantum yield of chlorophyll phosphorescence in chloroplast is found to be lower than that of chlorophyll in ethanol by the factor of 200. It increases with destruction of initial structures reaching the maximal value in the most light fragments. The data suggest that the luminescence studied accompanies desactivation of the triplet states of the chlorophyll molecules involved in the photosynthetic pigment complex. On the basis of previous studies it has been proposed that the increase of phosphorescence intensity in the light particles is due to disturbances in the pigment complex leading to a decrease of triplet-triplet energy transfer from chlorophyll to carotenoids.