Spectroscopic and biocatalytic properties of a chlorophyll-containing extract in silica gel

•Chlorophyll extract from spinach was successfully immobilized in silica gel.•UV–Vis spectra showed the transformation of chlorophyll a to pheophytin a.•The obtained biomaterial has both luminescence and biocatalytic activity.•Biotransformation of α-pinene to valuable terpenoid compounds was noticed.

UV–Vis absorption and fluorescence spectra of chlorophyll a (in the form of spinach extract) in acetone solution and in silica gel showed a predominance of pigment dimers in its overall concentration and an evident transformation of chlorophyll a to pheophytin with time. The dimerization constant of chlorophyll a in acetone was log Kdim = 2.14, whereas the constants for chlorophyll a and pheophytin a in alcogel were log Kdim = 4.70 and log Kdim = 5.22, respectively. Biocatalytic experiments indicated the possibility of using the pigment embedded in silica gel, i.e. mainly its dimeric form, for biotransformation of α-pinene to pinocarveyl hydroperoxide, trans-pinocarveol, pinocarvone and myrtenal. The advantage of a heterogeneous biocatalytic system (composed of a solvent and silica gel) over a homogeneous system (single phase of chloroform) is the possibility of reusing the biocatalyst with about 10% preservation of its activity.

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