Nonaqueous isolation of chloroplasts from soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) leaves using glycerol and polyethylene glycol

Abstract

In a nonaqueous method of isolation of chloroplasts using a 5:5 v/v mixture of glycerol and polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 300) the final pellet contained about 50perc. of chloroplasts present in the original sample. Washing of pellet at high speed centrifugation removed most of the cytosol, but electron microscopic examination showed some cytoplasmic contamination. With respect to starch granule size, the isolation precedure yielded a population of chloroplasts not greatly different from those in the starting material. Chlorophyll extraction was also not so severe as with aqueous media.