Which photosynthetic pigment converts nascent oxygen to molecular oxygen?
A
Chlorophyll-a
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B
Carotenoids
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C
Phycobilins
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D
Chlorophyll-b
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Solution
The correct option is D Carotenoids Carotenoids are yellow to yellow-orange pigments found in plants. Though chlorophyll is the major pigment responsible for trapping light, other thylakoid pigments like chlorophyll b, xanthophylls and carotenoids, which are called accessory pigments, also absorb light and transfer the energy to chlorophyll a.
Indeed, they not only enable a wider range of wavelength of incoming light to be utilised for photosynthesis but also protect chlorophyll a from photo-oxidation.
Carotenoids are unsaturated polyhydrocarbons being composed of eight isoprene units. The carotenes can convert harmful nascent oxygen to molecular oxygen and hence act as antioxidant agents.