FT-IR and near-infrared FT-Raman study of aggregation of bacteriochlorophyll c in solutions: evidence for involvement of the ester group in the aggregation.

Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and near-infrared (NIR)-excited FT-Raman spectra have been measured for bacteriochlorophyll c (BChl-c) in acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), pyridine-d5, carbon disulfide (CS2), and water-saturated carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to investigate its aggregation in vitro. The UV-Vis absorption spectra can be classified into two groups. Group I (acetone, THF, and pyridine-d5 solutions) gives a spectrum with a Qy band around 665 nm while group II (CS2 and water-saturated CCl4 solutions) shows a spectrum typical of BChl-c aggregates with a broader red-shifted Qy band. All the NIR-FT-Raman spectra, which are preresonant with the Qy band, are very close to those of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) measured in the corresponding solutions. Bands due to a C = O stretching mode of free and strongly hydrogen-bonded 13(1)-keto carbonyl groups appear near 1685 and 1645 cm-1, respectively. In contrast to the FT-Raman spectra, FT-IR spectra of the pyridine-d5 solution and group II are largely different from those of Chl-a in the corresponding solutions, suggesting that BChl-c forms quite different types of aggregates. It is clear from the IR spectra that the ester carbonyl group plays an important role in the aggregation for the pyridine-d5 and group II solutions. Of particular note is that bands due to C = O stretching modes of the ester group are observed at 1733, 1719, and 1705 cm-1 in the spectrum of BChl-c in water-saturated CCl4.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)