An aqueous mixture of chloroplasts, hydrogenase and an electron transfer catalyst on illumination liberates H
2
, the source of the H atoms being water. The rate and duration of H
2
production from such a system depends on the stability of chloroplast and hydrogenase activities in light and oxygen. Both chloroplasts and hydrogenases can be stabilized to a certain degree by immobilization in gels or by incubation in bovine serum albumin. Natural electron carriers of hydrogenases are ferredoxin, cytochrome
c
3
and NAD. Viologen dyes and synthetic iron-sulphur particles (Jeevanu) can substitute for the biological carriers. Methyl viologen, photoreduced in the presence of chloroplasts, can liberate H
2
in combination with Pt (Adam’s catalyst). An aqueous solution of proflavine can be photoreduced in the presence of organic electron donors such as EDTA, cysteine, dithiothreitol, etc.; the reduced proflavine can subsequently liberate H
2
with MV-Pt, MV-hydrogenase, ferredoxin-hydrogenase or cytochrome-hydrogenase systems.