What do pigments do

They release the oxygen into the air and use the glucose, a sugar, as food. Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now. Background Different molecules absorb different wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, and reflect the remaining one, which is the color we see.

See for yourself the pigments that give leaves their color. High School. Science Saturday. Learning Resources. Each collection features resources to Know about, Show, Explore, and Relate to an engaging theme for learners and educators. Data for the People. Science for all, straight from the source, with an emphasis on the process of science. Inclusive Outreach. Learn More about Our funders. All rights reserved. Jump to Navigation.

Harvard Forest. Search form Search. Leaf Pigments Plants make an amazing variety of pigment molecules, far more than animals. Carotenoids Carotenoids are very long-chain water-repelling pigments that are synthesized in the plastids of plant cells.

Chlorophylls The chlorophylls, a and b, are the pigments of photosynthesis. Anthocyanins Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments produced via the flavonoid pathway in the cytoplasm of the colored plant cell.

Stay Connected f. Black pigments absorb all wavelengths of visible light that strike them. White pigments reflect most of the wavelengths striking them. Each pigment has a characteristic absorption spectrum describing how it absorbs or reflects different wavelengths of light. Wavelengths absorbed by chlorophyll and other photosynthetic pigments generate electrons to power photosynthesis.

All photosynthetic organisms have chlorophyll a which absorbs violet-blue and reddish orange-red wavelengths.