Chlorintype

Chlorintype is a term encountered mainly in speculative biology, pigment chemistry, and some science-fiction contexts to denote a class of pigments or photosynthetic systems that are defined by chlorin-like spectral properties. The coinage combines the prefix chlor- ('green') with type ('category'), signaling a classification built around chlorin-derived pigments rather than conventional chlorophylls. There is no widely accepted scientific definition or taxonomic status for chlorintype in peer-reviewed literature.

Possible meanings in fictional or theoretical discussions include: (1) organisms whose primary light-harvesting pigments are chlorin-based rather than chlorophyll a, enabling different absorption spectra; or (2) synthetic pigments modeled on chlorins designed for red or near-infrared light capture. In medicinal chemistry, chlorin derivatives are used for photodynamic therapy; a chlorintype framework could hypothetically group such compounds by shared photophysical properties, such as absorption maximum, fluorescence, or singlet-oxygen yield. However, these uses remain speculative.

Relation to established chemistry: chlorin is a reduced porphyrin ring related to porphyrins; chlorophylls are magnesium-containing porphyrins. Chlorintype, when used, is not a standard term and should be treated as a conceptual category rather than a defined chemical or biological class.

See also: chlorophyll, chlorin, porphyrin, photodynamic therapy.