[Yield of pigment cation-radicals in the reaction of quinone photooxidation of chlorophyll].

Photoinduced transfer of electrons in alkohol solutions of chlorophyll and its deuterated analog, deuterochlorophyll containing the quinoses: p-benzoquinone, chloranyl, duroquinone, 1,4-naftoquinone and ubiquinone (coenzyme Q6) is studied. It is shown that pigment cation-radical and quinone anion-radical are the primary products of photoreaction. A relationship between stationary concentrations of deuterochlorophyll and p-benzoquinone radicals and quinone concentration in solution is obtained. The reaction mechanism and causes of other authors' (G. Tollin et al.) failure in finding pigment cation-radicals which are formed in the reaction of the latter with quinoses are discussed. It is shown that optimal conditions for accumulating photoinduced cation-radicals of the pigment in pigment solutions of chlorophyll with quinones are lowered temperature, high viscosity of the solvent, low pH of the solution, careful purification of the quinone from hydroquinone admixture.