Chlorophyllase and Formation of an Atypical Chlorophyllide in Marine Algae

In the course of a study of the pigment composition of some marine algae (6) certain organisms were found to possess highly active systems capable of converting chlorophyll a to chlorophyllide derivatives. Two chlorophyllides could be obtained from the diatom Phaeodactylnin tricornutunt (Bohlin) depending on the conditions of incubation. One possessed a spectrum identical with chlorophyll a, and therefore resembled the normal chlorophyllide a of higher plants (5) ; the other had a spectrum which differed from that of chlorophyll a in the Soret band region and was shown to be an atypical chlorophyllide, having a hydroxyl group of either alcohol or enol type. The present work is concerned with the properties of the chlorophyllides from Phaeodactvlumt tricornutnim, and the distribution of the chlorophyllase among some marine algae.