• Chlorophyll is located in the thylakoid membranes in the chloroplasts, organized in a photosystem in the form

of an antenna complex.
• In addition, they are also found in the space between the thylakoid and the chloroplast membranes referred to
as the stroma.
CHLOROPHYLL
• Why are chlorophyll and other plant pigments
important?
• How do chlorophyll and other plant pigments
help in carrying out photosynthesis?
• Chlorophyll absorbs certain light
waves and helps during the process
of photosynthesis by channeling
light energy into chemical energy, it
also absorbs energy and help in the
transformation of water and carbon
dioxide into oxygen and
carbohydrates.
• Chlorophyll also gives plants their
green color as it does not absorb
the green wavelengths of white
light.
Light from the sun is absorbed by colorful
compounds called pigments. The structure and
amount of pigments determine the variations in
color. The colors corresponding to the absorbed
wavelengths disappear from the spectrum of the
transmitted and reflected light, but energy
cannot disappear.
Absorption of a photon boosts an electron to a higher-energy electron shell, and the pigment molecule is then
said to be in an excited state. The excited state, like all high-energy states, is unstable. Generally, when isolated
pigment molecules absorb light, their excited electrons drop back down to the ground state in a billionth of a
second, releasing their excess energy as heat. Some isolated pigments, including chlorophyll, emit light as well as
heat after absorbing photons.
During photosynthesis, the sun’s energy is converted to chemical energy by photosynthetic
organisms. However, the various wavelengths in sunlight are not all used equally in
photosynthesis. Instead, photosynthetic organisms contain light absorbing molecules called
pigments that absorb only specific wavelengths of visible light, while reflecting others.
The visible light spectrum ranges from red (the longest wavelength) to orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo, and violet (the shortest wavelength). Plants possess pigments that can
absorb light in specific regions of the spectrum.
• The set of wavelengths absorbed
by a pigment is its absorption
spectrum. In the diagram, you can
see the absorption spectra of
three key pigments in
photosynthesis: chlorophyll a,
chlorophyll b, and β-carotene.
• Chlorophylls appear green
because the pigments absorb light
on all of the color ranges, and only
green is transmitted to our eyes.
Chlorophyll a is the core pigment
that absorbs sunlight for light
dependent photosynthesis.
The action spectrum indicates the overall rate of photosynthesis at each wavelength of light.
• Both display two main
peaks – a larger peak
at the blue region
(~450 nm) and a
smaller peak at the
red region (~670 nm)
• Both display a trough
in the green / yellow
portion of the visible
spectra (~550 nm)
 — — —
• Is the greenish pigment found
• Carotenoids are oil-soluble • One of the distinctive features
in the thylakoid membrane
molecules, which exhibit of phycobilins is their water
inside the chloroplast of a
yellow, orange, red and purple solubility.
plant cell.
colors. They help plants • The phycobilins collect light
• Chlorophyll absorbs blue and
absorb light energy for use in energy from the sun and pass
red light while it transmits and
photosynthesis. this energy to the primary
reflects green light. This is
• Carotenoids also act as pigment, which is the
why leaves appear green.
antioxidants in the human chlorophyll.
body.
•

•
 CHLOROPHYLL A

This pigment is found in all higher plants. Some algae, cyanobacteria and
anaerobic phototrophs also show the presence of chlorophyll a.

It is the most vital

1 pigment used in
photosynthesis.

It has a strong rate

2
of absorption.
It absorbs violet-blue
as well as orange-red
3
light and reflects blue-
green light.
 CHLOROPHYLL B

This type of chlorophyll is seen in green algae and plants.

It is an accessory
1 pigment that aids
chlorophyll a.
The chlorin ring of this
2 chlorophyll has a CHO.

This pigment usually

absorbs the orange-red
3
light and reflects a
yellow-green colour.
 CHLOROPHYLL C

This pigment is primarily seen in marine algae. Brown algae, Diatoms

and Dinoflagellates show the presence of chlorophyll c.

It is an unusual
1 chlorophyll pigment that
has a porphyrin ring.

This can be further

classified into
2
chlorophyll c1, c2 and
c3.
 CHLOROPHYLL D

Chlorophyll d is present only in red algae and cyanobacteria.

Absorbs the infrared

light of the
1
electromagnetic
spectrum.
It is the major chlorophyll
in cyanobacteria living in
2 an environment depleted in
visible light but abundant
in infrared light.
Carotenoid
• Phycobilins can be divided into two categories; Phycoerythrin–these
pigments are red in colour and are found in red algae. Phycocyanin–
these pigments, which are blue and green in colour, are found in
Cyanobacteria and blue-green algae.
• Both pycocyanin and phycoerythrin fluoresce at a particular
wavelength. That is, when they are exposed to strong light, they
absorb the light energy, and release it by emitting light of a very
narrow range of wavelengths. The light produced by this fluorescence
is so distinctive and reliable, that phycobilins may be used as chemical
"tags".
 The functional components of photosynthesis are called photosystems, and they are
identified by specific pigment organization and association patterns. Photosystems are
responsible for absorbing and transferring light energy, which implies transferring electrons.
• A reaction-center complex surrounded by several light-harvesting complexes. The
reaction-center complex is an organized association of proteins holding a special
pair of chlorophyll a molecules.
• A light-harvesting complex which consists of various pigment molecules (which
may include chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and multiple carotenoids) bound to
proteins.