Extraction of chlorophyll a from biological soil crusts: A comparison of solvents for spectrophotometric determination

We tested the efficacy of four different commonly used solvents (acetone, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, methanol) for the extraction of chla from biological soil crusts of three different successional stages (dark, intermediate, and light). Our results indicate that a double extraction technique is necessary in order to achieve chla recovery in the range of 76–87 percent. For all crust types, ethanol and dimethyl sulfoxide extracted the greatest amount of chla using a two-extraction efficiency calculation.

Research highlights
► Chla extraction was greatest with Ethanol = DMSO > Methanol > Acetone.
► A two extraction method achieved a 76–87% extraction efficiency with Ethanol and 79–87% with DMSO.
► Caution should be used when comparing chla concentrations across different methodologies.