Question

What are pigments made of in plants?

Answer 1

Biological pigments:

1. Chlorophylls, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and betalains are the four basic types of plant pigments. They are responsible for the majority of plant-derived hues.
2. Carotenoids are hydrophobic pigments with extremely long chains that are produced in plant plastids. ß-carotene, a common carotenoid, is synthesised in the chromoplasts of sunflower ray flowers to provide vibrant yellow-orange colours.
3. These pigments absorb preferentially at blue wavelengths, allowing longer wavelengths to scatter and produce the yellow colour.
4. Carotenoids are left over in the chloroplasts of autumn leaves and are revealed by the loss of chlorophyll.
5. The pigments of photosynthesis are chlorophylls a and b. They are made in chloroplasts, which are found in the photosynthetic tissues of the leaf.
6. Chlorophyll molecules are extremely water resistant due to their long phytol tail. The closed ring of the molecule is similar to haemoglobin in our blood, however, it includes magnesium ions rather than iron. Because each ring contains four nitrogen atoms, it is a huge and expensive chemical to produce.
7. Chlorophyll is generally broken down near the end of the leaf's life cycle, and the plant absorbs a large portion of the nitrogen.
8. Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments generated in the cytoplasm of coloured plant cells via the flavonoid pathway. The sugar molecule's connection makes them highly soluble in the sap of the vacuole, where these molecules are stored until they are launched.
9. These are responsible for the pink-red hues of most flower petals, most red foods (such as apples), and nearly all red leaves in fall. Anthocyanins absorb light in the blue-green wavelength range, allowing the red wavelengths to be dispersed by plant tissues and seen to us as red organs.