Abstract
The simplest member of the porphyrin class of compounds is porphine — a planar molecule comprising four pyrrole rings linked by methene bridges. Strongly stabilized by aromatic conjugation, porphine absorbs in the visible range with electronic transitions giving rise to an intense absorption band in the optical blue: the Soret band just below 400 nm. Secondary absorption features appear in the red end of the spectrum, in most cases between 500 and 600 nm. The molecular weight of porphine is 310 in the unsubstituted and uncomplexed form.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Baker, B.L. and Hodgson, G.W., 1968, Chlorins in recent marine sediments on the North Atlantic Continental Shelf off Nova Scotia, (Canada). Chem. Geol., 3: 119–133.
Baker, E.W., 1966, Mass spectrometric characterization of petroporphyrins. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 88: 2311–2315.
Baker, E.W., Yen, T.F., Kickie, J.P., Rhodes, R.E. and Clark, L.F., 1967. Mass spectrometry of porphyrins: II. Characterization of petroporphyrins. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 89: 36313639.
Calvin, M., 1979. Synthetic chloroplasts. Energy Res., 3: 73–87.
Casagrande, D.J. and Hodgson, G.W., 1971. Geochemical simulation evidence for the generation of homologous decarboxylated porphyrins. Nature Phys. Sci., 233: 123–124.
Casagrande, D.J. and Hodgson, G.W., 1974. Generation of homologous porphyrins under simulated geochemical conditions. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 38: 1745–1758.
Casagrande, D.J. and Hodgson, G.W., 1976. Geochemistry of porphyrins: the observation of homologous tetrapyrroles in a sediment sample from the Black Sea. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 40: 479–482.
Clark, M.E., 1973. Contemporary biology: concepts and implications. W.B.Saunders, PA, 632 pp.
Day, W., 1979, Genesis on planet earth: the search for life’s beginning. Talos, Lansing. MI, 408 pp.
Dean, R.A. and Whitehead, E.V., 1963. The composition of high boiling distillates and residues. Proc. 6th World Petroleum Congr., Sect. 5, Paper 9.
Donn, B., 1968. Polycyclic hydrocarbons, plant particles, and interstellar extinction. Astrophys. J., 152: L129 - L133.
Gammon, R.H., 1978. Chemistry of interstellar space. Chem. Eng. News, 56 (40): 21–33.
Hodgson, G.W., 1972. Cosmochemical evolution of large organic molecules: illustrative laboratory simulations for porphyrins. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 194: 86–97.
Hodgson, G.W. and Baker, B.L., 1969. Porphyrins in meteorites: metal complexes in Orgueil, Murray, Cold Bokkeveld and Mokoia carbonaceous chondrites. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta., 33: 943–958.
Hodgson, G.W., Bunnenberg, E., Halpern, B., Peterson, E., Kvenvolden, K.A. and Ponnamperuma, C., 1972b. Lunar pigments: porphyrin-like compounds from an Apollo 12 sample. Proc. 2nd Lunar Sci. Conf., 2: 1865–1874.
Hodgson, G.W., Flores, J. and Baker, B.L., 1969a. The origin of petroleum porphyrins: preliminary evidence for protein fragments associated with porphyrins. Geochim. Cosmochim Acta., 33: 532–535.
Hodgson, G.W., Holmes, M.A. and Halpern, B., 1979. Biogeochemistry of molecular complexes of amino acids with chlorins and porphyrins. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta., 34: 1107–1119.
Hodgson, G.W., Kvenvolden, K., Peterson, E. and Ponnamperuma, C., 1972. A quest for porphyrins in lunar soil: samples from Apollo 11, 12 and 14. Space Life Sci., 3: 419–424.
Hodgson, G.W., Peterson, E., Baker, B.L., 1969b. Trace porphyrin complexes: fluorescence detection by demetallation with methanesulfonic acid. Mikrochim. Acta., 805–814.
Hodgson, G.W. and Ponnamperuma, C., 1968. Prebiotic porphyrin genesis: porphyrins from electric discharge in methane, ammonia, and water vapor. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 59: 22–28.
Hodgson, G.W., Strosher, M. and Casagrande, D.J., 1972c. Geochemistry of porphyrins: analytical oxidation to maleimides. Advances in Organic Geochemistry, Pergamon Press, pp. 151–161.
Holt, A.S., Purdie, J.W. and Wasley, J.W.F., 1966. Structures of Chlorobium chlorophylls (660). Can. J. Chem., 44: 88–97.
Johnson, F.M., 1967, Diffuse interstellar lines and chemical characterization of interstellar dust. In: J. M. Greenberg and T.P. Roark (Eds.), Interstellar Lines, NASA SP 140, pp. 229–240.
Kvenvolden, K.A., Hodgson, G.W., Peterson, E. and Pollock, G.E., 1968. Organic geochemistry of the Swaziland system, South Africa. Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr., 167–168.
Kvenvolden, K.A. and Hodgson, G.W., 1969. Evidence for porphyrins in early Precambrian Swaziland system sediments. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta., 33: 1195–1202.
Longo, F.R., Finarelli, J.D., Schmalzbach, E. and Adler, A.D., 1970. The enthalpy of formation of porphin. J. Phys. Chem., 74: 3296–3297.
Merrill, P.W. and Wilson, O.C. 1938. Unidentified interstellar lines in the yellow and red. Astrophys. J., 87: 9–23.
Miller, S.L. and Urey, H.C., 1959. Organic compound synthesis on the primitive earth. Science, 130: 245–251.
Oparin, A.I., 1964. The Chemical Origin of Life, C. Thomas, Springfield, IL, 124 pp.
Oro, J. and Nooner, D.W., 1967. Aliphatic hydrocarbons in Pre-cambrian rocks. Nature, 213: 1082–1085.
Peake, E., Baker, B.L. and Hodgson, G.W., 1972. Hydrogeochemistry of the surface waters of the Mackenzie River drainage basin, Canada–II. The contribution of amino acids, hydrocarbons and chlorins to the Beaufort Sea by the Mackenzie River system. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 36: 867–883.
Rothemund, P., 1936. A new porphyrin synthesis. The synthesis of porphin. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 58: 625–627.
Sassa, S., 1972. Regulation of bene synthesis. I. Biosynthesis of 6-aminolevulinic acid synthetase. Igaku No Ayumi, 82: 617–624.
Woodward, R.B., Ayer, W.A., Beaton, J.M., Bickelhaupt, F., Bonnett, R., Buchschacher, P., Closs, G.L., Dutler, H., Hannah, J., Hauck, F.P., Its, S., Langemann, A., Le Goff, E., Leimgruber, W., Lwowski, W. Sauer, J., Valenta, Z. and Voltz, H., 1960. The total synthesis of chlorophyll. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 82: 3800–3802.
York, D.G., 1971. Structure in the interstellar-extinction curve. Astrophys. J., 166: 65–86.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1980 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hodgson, G.W., Whiteley, C.G. (1980). The Universe of Porphyrins. In: Biogeochemistry of Ancient and Modern Environments. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-26582-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-26582-6_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-0-85847-062-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-26582-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive