When Chloroplast Pigments Absorb Light

The principal pigments are chlorophyll a and b they mainly absorb light in the.

When chloroplast pigments absorb light. A chloroplast contains a green pigment called chlorophyll which absorbs light energy for photosynthesis. Pigments are chemicals found within the chloroplasts which absorb light energy and convert it to chemical energy. Hence the name chloroplast indicates that these structures are chlorophyll containing. It occurs in algae and bacteria as well albeit a little differently.

Plastids assist in storing and harvesting needed substances for energy production. A function of those pigments is to absorb light. The term chlorophyll has originated from the greek terms khloros which means green and phyllon which means leaf it plays a fundamental role in the process of photosynthesis by allowing a plant to absorb light energy and convert it into chemical. Chlorophyll in plants is a pigment molecule that imparts green colour to the leaf and stems by absorbing a red and blue spectrum of light.

For example grass absorbs all of the colors of the spectrum except green. Photosynthesis in bacteria and algae photosynthesis does not only occur in the higher green plants. A pigment is a molecule that absorbs certain wavelengths of light and reflects or transmits others. Objects or organisms vary in color because of their specific combination of pigments.

Wavelengths that are reflected by pigments are seen as the object s color. The pigments of chloroplasts absorb blue and red light most effectively and transmit or reflect green light which is why leaves appear green. Chloroplasts are a type of plastid a round oval or disk shaped body that is involved in the synthesis and storage of foodstuffs.