Methods in Enzymology. Volume XXIV: Photosynthesis and Nitrogen Fixatioon. Part B

Volume 24 completes the presentation of methods applicable to the study of the biochemical and biophysical properties of photosynthetic and nitrogen fixing systems. The first part of this volume is concerned with the description of the physical and biochemical methods applicable to the identification of individual components of the photosynthetic system and the determination of their kinetic parameters as functional components of the energy conversion process. The physical methods described include: construction of light sources and the measurement of light intensity, light and paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and their application to the analysis of photosynthetic systems, circular dichroism and optical rotatory dispersion, polarographic estimation of oxygen evolution, measurement of fluorescence and chemiluminescence, measurement of enhancement, photosensitization reactions of chlorophyll and the measurement of chloroplast volume, structure and size distribution. This volume also presents methods for the measurement of many important biochemical reactions catalyzed by chloroplast enzymes systems including the Hill reaction, photophosphorylation, carbon reduction, photorespiration, ATPase and ion transport. It also includes valuable sections devoted to the synthesis and description of buffers suitable for the study of biochemical reactions and the application of inhibitors to the study of partial reactions of photosynthesis. The section devoted to nitrogen fixation offers a complete description of the methods developed for the study of this process. The articles cover assay techniques useful to the measurement of the fixation process. A major portion of this section is given to the description of the isolation and purification of components of the nitrogen fixing system with several articles dealing with the purification of the nitrogenase complex and nitrogenase from a variety of sources. A very useful sectioll on the culture of plant-bacterial symbionts with nitrogen fixing capability is also described. This volume of this distinguished series is a most valuable addition to the literature of photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation and is sure to become a standard reference for investigators in these areas of research.