chlorophyll
Sign in to saveChlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy from light. Those pigments are involved in oxygenic photosynthesis, as opposed to bacteriochlorophylls, related molecules found only in bacteria and involved in anoxygenic photosynthesis.
AI overview
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that allows these organisms to capture energy from light. It plays a crucial role in photosynthesis, the process by which these organisms convert light into chemical energy, and is responsible for producing the oxygen we breathe.
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Article
12 sectionsContents
- History
- Photosynthesis
- Chemical structure
- Measurement of chlorophyll content
- Biosynthesis
- Senescence and the chlorophyll cycle
- Distribution
- Uses
- Culinary
- In marketing
- See also
- References
Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy from light. Those pigments are involved in oxygenic photosynthesis, as opposed to bacteriochlorophylls, related molecules found only in bacteria and involved in anoxygenic photosynthesis.
Chlorophylls absorb light most strongly in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as the red portion. Conversely, it is a poor absorber of green and near-green portions of the spectrum. Hence chlorophyll-containing tissues appear green because green light, diffusively reflected by structures like cell walls, is less absorbed. Two types of chlorophyll exist in the photosystems of green plants: chlorophyll a and b.