The Structural Chemistry of Isolated Chlorophylls

Abstract

Chlorophylls are often termed the ?pigments of life? and are the primary photosynthetic pigments in nature. They are green colored macrocyclic pigments and the term chlorophyll, coined by Berzelius in 1838, is derived from Greek roots and indicates the green of leaves.1 Chlorophylls and the related bacteriochlorophylls are the ubiquitous pigments of photosynthetic organisms. As such they share common structural principles and functions. They are responsible for the primary biochemical energy generation in nature through action as reaction center and accessory pigments and give the only indications of life on earth visible from outer space.