Modified Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) Extraction for Chlorophyll Analysis of Phytoplankton

Abstract

This new extraction procedure eliminates the need for grinding glass fiber filters by heating the filter in DMSO (4 mL) for 10 min at 65 °C and subsequently filtering or centrifuging the sample after dilution with 90% acetone (6 mL). Scenedesmus and Selenastrum species gave about 20% higher concentrations of chlorophyll a using this method as compared to the standard 90% acetone procedure or grinding in DMSO only. The difference between heated DMSO and 90% acetone was reduced when natural phytoplankton were analyzed.Key words: chlorophyll, Chlorophyta, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, extraction