Photosynthetic Pigment

Photosynthetic Pigment

Green plants have six closely related photosynthetic pigments (in order of increasing polarity):

• Carotene - an orange pigment
• Xanthophyll - a yellow pigment
• Phaeophytin a - a gray-brown pigment
• Phaeophytin b - a yellow-brown pigment
• Chlorophyll a - a blue-green pigment
• Chlorophyll b - a yellow-green pigment

Chlorophyll a is the most common of the six, present in every plant that performs photosynthesis. The reason that there are so many pigments is that each absorbs light more efficiently in a different part of the spectrum. Chlorophyll a absorbs well at a wavelength of about 400-450 nm and at 650-700 nm; chlorophyll b at 450-500 nm and at 600-650 nm. Xanthophyll absorbs well at 400-530 nm. However, none of the pigments absorbs well in the green-yellow region, which is responsible for the abundant green we see in nature.
Link to video of CCM300 portable chorophyll content meter being used to measure cholorophyll content of small samples.