Photophosphorylation by monomolecular films at an air-water interface.

An acetone extract of chloroplast particles, when layered on an aqueous surface, exhibited light-dependent phosphorylation. Studies with the firefly-tail enzyme assay, as well as with (32)P-labeled inorganic phosphate, show an initial release of adenosine triphosphate (a step that is apparently only light-triggered), followed by a light-dependent uptake of the labeled inorganic phosphate into adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate.