Chlorophyll

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/chlorophyll

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Chlorophyll?Richard Willstätter (early 20th century)
2. What is the molecular formula (chlorophyll a)?C55H72MgN4O5
3. What is the primary light absorption peaks (chlorophyll a)?Approximately 430 nm and 662 nm
4. What is chlorophyll and why is it green?Chlorophyll is a pigment in plants that absorbs sunlight and gives plants their green color. It helps plants turn light into food.
5. How does chlorophyll help plants eat sunshine?Chlorophyll captures light energy, especially blue and red light, and uses it to power the electron transport chain that makes food for the plant.

Porphyrin Ring: A macrocyclic organic compound with a characteristic ring structure, central to chlorophyll's function.
Endosymbiosis: A symbiotic relationship where one organism lives inside another, explaining the origin of chloroplasts.
Spectrophotometry: A technique measuring how much light a chemical substance absorbs at different wavelengths.
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT): A medical treatment using light-activated drugs to kill diseased cells, often involving chlorophyll derivatives.