EFFECT OF SURFACTANTS ON GROWTH, CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT AND HILL REACTION ACTIVITY

Surfactants of the type 1-alkyl-1-ethylpiperidinium bromides (C6 - C18 ) and 1-alkylpiperidine-N-oxides (C-8 - C18) inhibited growth and chlo rophyll synthesis in the green algae Chlorella vulgaris as well as the y inhibited Hill reaction activity in spinach chloroplasts. Their inhi bitory activity was strongly dependent on the length of the surfactant alkyl chain. The algicidal effect of studied surfactants was manifest ed in the concentration range of 4.2 x 10(-2) M to 1.0 x 10(-5) M. Ele ctron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of spinach chloroplasts demonstrate d that the studied surfactants affected the structure of photosystem ( PS) 2 and the electron transfer to PS 1.