ALUMINUM KINETICS IN THE TEA PLANT USING AL-27 AND F-19 NMR

To clarify aluminium kinetics in the tea plant, Al-27 and F-19 NMR spectroscopy was applied to the analysis of intact tissues. Although most of the Al species found in tea leaves were in the catechin complex, other parts of the tea plant had two distinctive forms, which could be attributed to catechin and fluorine complexes. In additional experiments detached shoots were used to absorb Al-F complexes from solutions, and the forms of Al-F found in the branches were virtually the same as those in the solutions. However, these forms were not observed in the leaves. These results indicate that the Al-F complex is a moving species which is rapidly converted into another form in the leaves.