Substances that absorb light are called pigments Different

Last updated: 5/10/2023

Substances that absorb light are called pigments Different pigments show maximum absorption of light at different wavelengths reflecting the unabsorbed wavelengths Varying forms of chlorophyll in plants lead to a large variety in the coloring of plant leaves due to discrete absorption profiles Figure 1 shows the absorption spectra for chlorophyll a chlorophyll b and carotene important compounds in photosynthesis These spectra show the relative absorption of light by each compound as a function of wavelength 3 3 1 Determining Support Figure 2 shows how the rate of photosynthesis varies with the wavelength of absorbed light for chlorophyll a absorbance 300 violet blue green yellow orange red Key chlorophyll a chlorophyll b carotene 400 500 wavelength nm Figure 1 600 700 rate of photosynthesis 1 mL O min 6420 8642 16 14 12 10 0 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 wavelength nm Figure 2 Which of the following is best supported by Figure 1 estud A Chlorophyll a absorbs the most light at blue and red wavelengths B Chlorophyll a absorbs the most light at green and yellow wavelengths C Chlorophyll a absorbs the most light at violet and green wavelengths D Chlorophyll a absorbs the most light at yellow and orange wavelengths