chlorophyll

or chlo·ro·phyl

[ klawr-uh-fil, klohr- ]

noun

, Botany, Biochemistry.

1. the green coloring matter of leaves and plants, essential to the production of carbohydrates by photosynthesis, and occurring in a bluish-black form, C 55 H 72 MgN 4 O 5 chlorophyll a, and a dark-green form, C 55 H 70 MgN 4 O 6 chlorophyll b.

chlorophyll

/ ˈklɔːrəfɪl /

noun

1. the green pigment of plants and photosynthetic algae and bacteria that traps the energy of sunlight for photosynthesis and exists in several forms, the most abundant being chlorophyll a (C 55 H 72 O 5 N 4 Mg): used as a colouring agent in medicines or food ( E140 )

chlorophyll

/ klôr′ə-fĭl /

1. Any of several green pigments found in photosynthetic organisms, such as plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. At its molecular core, chlorophyll has a porphyrin structure but contains a magnesium atom at its center and a long carbon side chain. Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue wavelengths of light, but reflects green. When it absorbs light energy, a chlorophyll molecule enters a higher energy state in which it easily gives up an electron to the first available electron-accepting molecule nearby. This electron moves through a chain of acceptors and is ultimately used in the synthesis of ATP, which provides chemical energy for plant metabolism. Plants rely on two forms of chlorophyll, chlorophyll a ( C 66 H 72 MgN 4 O 5 ) and chlorophyll b ( C 66 H 70 MgN 4 O 6 ), which have slightly different light absorbing properties. All plants, algae, and cyanobacteria have chlorophyll a, since only this compound can pass an electron to acceptors in oxygen-producing photosynthetic reactions. Chlorophyll b absorbs light energy that is then transferred to chlorophyll a. Several protist groups such as brown algae and diatoms lack chlorophyll b but have another pigment, chlorophyll c, instead. Other closely related pigments are used by various bacteria in photosynthetic reactions that do not produce oxygen.
2. See more at photosynthesis

chlorophyll

1. The complex chemical that gives a plant its green color and plays an important role in the conversion of sunlight into energy for the plant. ( See photosynthesis .)

Derived Forms

• ˌchloroˈphyllous, adjective
• ˈchloroˌphylloid, adjective

Other Words From

• chloro·phylloid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chlorophyll¹

First recorded in 1810–20; chloro- ¹ + -phyll

Word History

From its name, one might think that chlorophyll has chlorine in it, but it doesn't. The chloro– of chlorophyll comes from the Greek word for “green”; chlorophyll in fact is the chemical compound that gives green plants their characteristic color. The name of the chemical element chlorine comes from the same root as the prefix chloro–, and is so called because it is a greenish-colored gas.

Example Sentences

The first was through ocean color satellites, which measured the amount of chlorophyll in the water.

From Popular-Science

For instance, leaves on a tree are green because chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light, reflecting green and yellow wavelengths back to your eye.

From Popular-Science

Just as in plants, these algae use chlorophyll to derive energy from the sun through photosynthesis.

From Science News For Students

Loss of the chlorophyll pigments responsible for photosynthesis is common in parasitic plants that rely on their hosts for sustenance.

From Science News

If a molecule, such as chlorophyll, has the right shape, it can absorb the energy from some wavelengths of light.

From Science News For Students

When the stalk is dried out, it is crushed to extract its green juice (the liquid is green because of chlorophyll in the plant).

From The Daily Beast

In other words, Grew seems to have observed the characteristic fluorescence of chlorophyll.

From Project Gutenberg

The same leaves, now looking so dead, revive their chlorophyll, and become green in the spring.

From Project Gutenberg

The red rays are life to the chlorophyll-bearing plant, the violet rays are death.

From Project Gutenberg

The centrosomata grow independently and increase by cleavage, like the chromoplasts (chlorophyll particles, etc.).

From Project Gutenberg

As a rule, the ferruginous chlorophyll can only form new plasm with the help of light-waves.

From Project Gutenberg