Photosynthetica 2000, 38(1):159-160 | DOI: 10.1023/A:1026720729911

Size and Power of Chlorophyll a Molecule

P. Strebeyko1
1 Warszawa, Poland

On the basis of literature and my calculations it was established that a chlorophyll (Chl) particle anchored with a phytol chain to the thylakoid membrane takes up about 1 nm2 of the surface area. At an irradiance of 287 W m-2 the leaves of cabbage seedlings become saturated with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) thus reaching the maximum photosynthetic rate of 100 µg(C) m-2 s-1, that is 5 CO2 molecules per 1 nm2 per second, and the maximum power with which the Chl particle supplies the process of photosynthesis is 15 aJ.

Additional key words: Brassica oleracea; cabbage; irradiance; photon energy; photosynthetic rate

Prepublished online: October 1, 2000; Published: April 1, 2000  Show citation

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Strebeyko, P. (2000). Size and Power of Chlorophyll a Molecule. Photosynthetica, 38(1), 159-160. doi: 10.1023/A:1026720729911
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    References

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