alleryStart learning →Which pigment is described as an accessory pigment that absorbs blue and red-orange light?
AChlorophyll a
BChlorophyll b
CBeta-carotene
DBacteriochlorophyll
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Chlorophyll b
1. Chlorophyll b is an accessory pigment that absorbs blue and red-orange light.
2. It consequently has a yellowish-green tint.
3. Chlorophyll a absorbs violet-blue and red light and has a bluish-green colour instead.
4. Chlorophyll a is also the only pigment molecule that performs the photochemistry by losing an electron.
5. Beta-carotene is a carotenoid and belongs to the other pigment class entirely.
6. Bacteriochlorophyll is the prokaryotic relative and is not found in higher plant chloroplasts.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 8 "Photosynthesis", section 8.2 The Light-Dependent Reactions of Photosynthesis_
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