Nitrogen carotenoid analysis

Comparative studies of the widely employed spectrophotometric readings at the Soret and Q bands (405 and 630 nm, respectively) and the elemental analysis of copper and nitrogen showed that the spectrophotometric assay based only on the Soret band can overestimate the purity of a preparation. Erroneous data were attributed to an increase in absorptivity at the Soret band when other colored compounds like metal-free analogs and carotenoids are present. Indeed, copper-free chlorin e6 exhibits a specific absorbance 3.6 times greater than that of its coppered counterpart. Therefore, measurements at the Q band (630 mn) and the establishment of the S Q ratio are preferred. 

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