The presence of several homologous series of porphyrins have been demonstrated in some oil shale rocks, shale oils, and petroleums. However, the application of microanalytical techniques (i.e., mass spectrometry and gas chromatography) to structure determination has been limited due to the low volatility of the porphyrin components. The authors report the synthesis of several novel Si(IV) etioporphyrin I derivatives and the effects that their various additional silicon ligands have on porphyrin volatility as measured by gas chromatography at normal pressure.

Although the detailed pathway of carbon, by which carbohydrates are formed from carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, has been established, comparatively little is known about the participation and transport of hydrogen in the complex series of reactions now known to be involved in photosynthesis. The transport of hydrogen may occur concurrently with the redox reactions of photosynthetic electron transport leading to the formation of ATP, as well as in the reduction of carbon dioxide. The participation of the chlorophylls, the carotenoids, the quinones, and other lipoid components in photosynthetic hydrogen transport has been the subject of considerable speculation. In an attempt to elucidate the pathway of hydrogen transport, we are studying the tritium labeling pattern in the lipid extracts of Rhodospirillum rubrum after the bacteria have been illuminated in growth medium containing tritiated water.