Question

in your own words, relationship describes the relationship between chlorophyll and the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum

Answer 1

Solution:-

The visible spectrum is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be seen by the human eye. It includes electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is between about 400 nm and 700 nm. Visible light from the sun appears white, but it’s actually made up of multiple wavelengths (colors) of light. You can see these different colors when white light passes through a prism: because the different wavelengths of light are bent at different angles as they pass through the prism, they spread out and form what we see as a rainbow. Red light has the longest wavelength and the least energy, while violet light has the shortest wavelength and the most energy.Although light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation act as waves under many conditions, they can behave as particles under others. Each particle of electromagnetic radiation, called a photon, has certain amount of energy. Types of radiation with short wavelengths have high-energy photons, whereas types of radiation with long wavelengths have low-energy photons.

In 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 set of wavelengths absorbed by a pigment is its absorption spectrum. In the diagram below, you can see the absorption spectra of three key pigments in photosynthesis: chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and β-carotene. The set of wavelengths that a pigment doesn't absorb are reflected, and the reflected light is what we see as color. For instance, plants appear green to us because they contain many chlorophyll aand b molecules, which reflect green light.

Most photosynthetic organisms have a variety of different pigments, so they can absorb energy from a wide range of wavelengths. Here, we'll look at two groups of pigments that are important in plants: chlorophylls and carotenoids.

There are five main types of chlorophylls: chlorophylls a, b, c and d, plus a related molecule found in prokaryotes called bacteriochlorophyll. In plants, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b are the main photosynthetic pigments. Chlorophyll molecules absorb blue and red wavelengths, as shown by the peaks in the absorption spectra above.

Structurally, chlorophyll molecules include a hydrophobic ("water-fearing") tail that inserts into the thylakoid membrane and a porphyrin ring head that absorbs light.

Although both chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b absorb light, chlorophyll aplays a unique and crucial role in converting light energy to chemical energy. All photosynthetic plants, algae, and cyanobacteria contain chlorophyll a, whereas only plants and green algae contain chlorophyll b, along with a few types of cyanobacteria.

Because of the central role of chlorophyll a in photosynthesis, all pigments used in addition to chlorophyll a are known as accessory pigments—including other chlorophylls, as well as other classes of pigments like the carotenoids. The use of accessory pigments allows a broader range of wavelengths to be absorbed, and thus, more energy to be captured from sunlight.