Otto Warburg’s first approach to photosynthesis

Abstract

In the field of photosynthesis research, Otto Warburg (1883Warburg ( -1970 is predominantly known for the role he played in the controversy that began in the late 1930s regarding the maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis, even though by that time he had already been working on the topic for more than a decade. One of Warburg's first contributions on the subject, which dates from around 1920, is his proposal for a detailed model of photosynthesis, which he never completely abandoned, despite later overwhelming evidence in favor of alternatives. This paper presents a textual and graphical reconstruction of Warburg's model and of his argument for its validity. Neither has received much attention in the history of science, even though the model was certainly one of the most plausible explanations of the period and therefore could not be so easily discredited.

A comment on Warburg’s early understanding of biocatalysis

“…Now perhaps his work on green algae promised new food sources for a starving populace and received priority. Kärin Nickelsen (2007) has discussed Warburg's approach in detail. Here, I point out that his techniques and models directly arose from his work on respiration with analogous conclusions: the light-dependent assimilation of CO 2 as a membrane-bound reaction with the participation of heavy metals!…”

“…The changing moods of biochemistry in the first three decades of the 20th century and the influence of colloid chemistry on Warburg's view of ferments are discussed in greater detail by Robert E. Kohler (1973b) and Joseph S. Fruton (1999). The ''photolyte'' and the ''quanta problem'' in photosynthesis As Nickelsen (2007) has emphasized, Warburg first used the term ''photolyte'' in 1920, in a general meaning, for the subject of ''photolysis'', i.e., the fixation of CO 2 and the release of O 2 by light. Without any experimental indication for its nature, he had called the photosynthetic cell with its catalytic surface activity a ''photolyte'' (Warburg 1920, p. 206).…”

“…Acknowledgments I thank Govindjee for inviting me to write this comment, for providing me with the manuscript of Nickelsen (2007), and for editing this manuscript.…”

Human Photosynthesis: A Turning Point in the Understanding and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

“…Photo-transduction or the transformation of the photonic energy (of light) into free chemical energy is a very difficult process to study, because, like other metabolical processes, photosynthesis proved highly sensitive to intervention [1]. Whenever the box´s covering was pried off, the wheels inside stopped turning [2].…”

“…Human Photosynthesis: A Turning Point in the Understanding and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease function of neural circuits [1]; however sufficient free chemical energy is fundamental at most. Neurons are able to change their transmitter phenotype as result and to deal with in the best way with variations mainly of the light levels in the environment.…”