Why does chlorophyll make plant leaves appear green?

Answer 1

Chlorophyll is a complex biomolecule containing magnesium. The molecule contains special ring shaped structures that capture preferred wavelengths of light. Green is not "captured" so it is reflected back to our eye. I do know that plants may contain modified chlorophyll and

other pigments to take advantage of the type of light available to them. One example are sea plants where only certain wavelengths of light may reach specific depths and the plants have evolved to capture this light for energy.

"We can also look at this from another angle. Why does chlorophyll reflect

("throw away") green light, which is the most abundant color in sunlight, and

utilize instead the weaker reds and blue? Scientists theorize that it may have

been because competing organisms were absorbing much of the green wavelengths

billions of years ago, so algae (the earliest plants) reflected the green away

and instead absorbed the red and blue hues that remained.

Early in Earth's history, the oceans were dominated by archaea, bacteria-like

organisms that are often purple in color, due to a pigment used to create energy

from the sun in a process analogous to photosynthesis (but completely differently

at the chemical level). As algae came along, they would have found a beneficial

niche by utilizing the unused red and blue wavelengths (and reflecting the green).

If you compare the absorption spectra of chlorophyll (plants) and retinal (the

pigment in archaea), they are mirrors of each other, which supports this theory.

Why archaea never evolved into complex organisms like algae did into plants and

trees is not known (to me, at least), but another roll of the evolutionary dice

might have led to large, purple archaea-trees that could outcompete plants (since

plants use only the weaker red/blue wavelengths). Today, archaea ancestors remain

as microorganisms that tend to inhabit extreme environments (geysers, salt ponds,

etc.) where their purple (and red) colors can still be seen.

For more info, see:

"Extreme Microbes", S. DasSarma"

by Paul Bridges

Answer 2

The expression of a colour of an object is the wavelength of light that is refected by the object. For example red objects reflect light in the red spectrum of visible light (and absorb the others) - thus we see the object as red.

The same is true plants (and chlorophyll). Green light is refelcted so we see plants as green - where as the red and blue portions of the visible light spectrum are absorbed and used in photosynthesis.

Answer 3

Chlorophyll is green because the wave length of light that appears green is the only wavelength that chlorophyll does not absorb. Therefore it is reflected back and is the color we see.

Answer 4

The chlorophyll really isn't green. Its reflection of the sun seems green to us.

Answer 5

Because chlorophyll is a green colouring pigmen that contains starch and chlorophyll is present in the leaves of plant.

Answer 6

Chlorophyll make chloroplasts green.They are stored in chloroplasts.

Answer 7

Because chlorophyll reflects green light making the plant appear green. Plants are able to use red and blue light best.

Answer 8

it absorbs green wavelengths of light

Answer 9

Because chlorophyll is green.