HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC STUDY OF ALKALINE TREATMENT OF CHLOROPHYLL

The degradation products of chlorophyll a and b obtained by alkaline t reatment in the presence of atmospheric oxygen were studied. Reversed- phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography, normal- and rev ersed-phase thin-layer chromatography and diode-array detection were u sed for the separation, isolation and preliminary identification of th e following degradation products: Mg-rhodin g(7), Mg-chlorin e(6), MeO -lactone-chlorophyllide, Mg-purpurin, Mg-phytyl-rhodin g(7), Mg-phytyl -chlorin e(6), MeO-lactone-chlorophyll, Mg-phytyl-purpurin and some of their diasteroisomers. MeO-chlorophyll and OH-chlorophyll were tentat ively identified. The alkaline treatment did not induce the specific d e-esterification of phytol in any of the cases studied and oxidation o f the isocyclic ring was simultaneously observed.