The Chlorophylls reviews developments in study of chlorophylls, and at the same time summarizes the state of knowledge in the more established areas of the physics, chemistry, and biology of chlorophylls. The book is organized into four sections. The first section deals with the chlorophylls as chemical entities, and treats their isolation, analysis, chemistry, and synthesis. The second concerns chlorophylls in real and colloidal solution and in the solid state in vitro, and includes the effects of aggregation on visible, infrared, and NMR spectral properties. The third section treats the biosynthesis, organization, and properties of chlorophylls in the plant and bacterial cell, and the fourth is concerned with the photochemical and photophysical behavior of chlorophylls in vitro and in vivo. It is hoped that this work will help those investigating selected aspects of chlorophyll to keep abreast of other methods and approaches, and will provide the interested scientist with a modern, conceptually organized treatment of the subject.

The first dedicated new work since 1991, this book reviews recent progress and current studies in the chemistry, metabolism and spectroscopy of chlorophylls, bacteriochlorophylls and their protein complexes. Also discussed is progress on the applications of chlorophylls as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy of cancerous tumours, and as molecular probes in biochemistry, medicine, plant physiology, ecology and geochemistry. Each section offers an introductory overview followed by concise, focused and fully-referenced chapters written by experts.

Chlorophyll a Fluorescence: A Signature of Photosynthesis highlights chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence as a convenient, non-invasive, highly sensitive, rapid and quantitative probe of oxygenic photosynthesis. Thirty-one chapters, authored by 58 international experts, provide a solid foundation of the basic theory, as well as of the application of the rich information contained in the Chl a fluorescence signal as it relates to photosynthesis and plant productivity. Although the primary photochemical reactions of photosynthesis are highly efficient, a small fraction of absorbed photons escapes as Chl fluorescence, and this fraction varies with metabolic state, providing a basis for monitoring quantitatively various processes of photosynthesis. The book explains the mechanisms with which plants defend themselves against environmental stresses (excessive light, extreme temperatures, drought, hyper-osmolarity, heavy metals and UV). It also includes discussion on fluorescence imaging of leaves and cells and the remote sensing of Chl fluorescence from terrestrial, airborne, and satellite bases. The book is intended for use by graduate students, beginning researchers and advanced undergraduates in the areas of integrative plant biology, cellular and molecular biology, plant biology, biochemistry, biophysics, plant physiology, global ecology and agriculture.

The Porphyrins, Volume V: Physical Chemistry, Part C explores the physical chemistry of porphyrins, their precursors, catabolic derivatives, and related compounds. The book covers photochemical, electrochemical, and routes of electron transfer, as well as primary redox reactions of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins; oxygenation of hemoglobin and the interactions of metalloporphyrins with dioxygen; the kinetics of porphyrin metalation; and solid state phenomena. This volume is organized into 11 chapters and begins with an overview of electron transfer and the mechanisms of oxidation and reduction. The discussion then turns to porphyrin photochemical reactions and reversible electron transfer reactions of metalloporphyrins. Selected examples in which the oxidized or reduced complexes have been shown to play a biochemical role are provided. The following chapters focus on the isolation and characterization of the photosynthetic pigments and their aggregation and coordination properties, along with those of the porphyrins and metalloporphyrins. The book concludes with an analysis of solid state phenomena in porphyrins and related materials, paying particular attention to semiconduction, photoconduction, and superconduction. This book will be of value to inorganic, organic, physical, and biochemists interested in the physical chemistry of porphyrins.