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Chlorophyll
Green pigments found in plants, algae and bacteria / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Leaf green" redirects here. For the RAL color, see RAL 6002 Leaf green. For the 2004 Pokémon video game, see Pokémon LeafGreen.
Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants.[2] Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρός, khloros ("pale green") and φύλλον, phyllon ("leaf").[3] Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy from light.
Chlorophyll at different scales
Seen through a microscope, chlorophyll is concentrated within organisms in structures called chloroplasts – shown here grouped inside plant cells.
Plants are perceived as green because chlorophyll absorbs mainly the blue and red wavelengths but green light, reflected by plant structures like cell walls, is less absorbed.[1]
Chlorophylls absorb light most strongly in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as the red portion.[4] 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.[1] Two types of chlorophyll exist in the photosystems of green plants: chlorophyll a and b.[5]