Energy Transfer Between Chlorophyll a and All Trans B-Carotene in Vitro As Resolved by Fluorescence Photoquenching

Experiment evidence is presented for the selective energy transfer between all trans β-carotene and Chl a. Resonance fluorescence excitation profiles and fluorescence photoquenching are used to determine the sensitizer and acceptor roles in the Chl a/carotene dry hexane solution. Efficient energy transfer is predicted using a Dexter mechanism and the possible energy transfer channels are summarized. Also, fluorescence assignments, monochromatic transmission studies, Resonance Raman spectra and energy level diagrams are discussed.