Savannah Libassi AP Bio Writing Assignment #4/Paper Chromatography a.

) Paper chromatography is a method that can be used to separate pigments in leaves. A thin piece of paper, leaf pigments and a solvent can be used to show this seperation. After the pigments are added to the thin paper and is placed in the solvent, over time, the chemical solvent diffuses up the paper and takes with it some of the pigments. The pigments are then seperated by color, based on how soluble they are with the solvent. For example, the more soluble the pigment is, the more distance it will travel up the paper. Therefore, every pigment will travel a noticeably different distance and be seperated from other pigments with different solubilities to the solvent. b.) Pigments are any substances that absorb light to eventually convert it to chemical energy used in the process photosynthesis. Different pigments absorb different wavelengths of light, which not only affect colors, but have different effects on the photosynthetic rate too. Pigments have a vital role in photosynthesis, because they provide light energy for a light dependent reaction. These pigments take in light in photosystem II and split H2O into electrons which are eventually sent to an electron transport chain. Next, in photosystem I, the electrons are excited during a light dependent reaction by light energy. From this, ATP and NADPH are created.

c.) Rf= distance pigment migrated / distance solvent front migrated (xanthophyll) 3.5 cm / (solvent line) 7.5 cm = 0.4666666...