Question

Nancy is explaining why chlorophyll is classified as a plant pigment and how it is useful in photosynthesis. Which property of chlorophyll would be most appropriate for her to cite?

A. chlorophyll's ability to absorb light
B. chlorophyll's green color
C. chlorophyll's presence in chloroplasts
D. chlorophyll's reactivity with oxygen

Answer 1

A. chlorophyll's ability to absorb light

Step-by-step explanation:

Within the chloroplasts of plants, a complex biochemical mechanism, photosynthesis, takes place. Here, light energy is converted into chemical energy in the form of stable carbohydrates.

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Carbon Dioxide + Water + Light Glucose + Oxygen

In the chloroplast, the light-dependent and light-independent reactions in which sugars are formed occur. In the light reaction that stimulates photosystems, pigments such as chlorophyll absorb light energy at specific wavelengths.

Specifically, chlorophyll then forms photosystem complexes (PS I & PSII) with proteins- these absorb and transfer light electrons etc to other downstream reactions like photolysis and the electron transport chain.