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Chlorophyll molecules are arranged in and around photosystems that are embedded in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts. [17] In these complexes, chlorophyll serves three functions: The function of the vast majority of chlorophyll (up to several hundred molecules per photosystem) is to absorb light.
The reaction begins with the excitation of a pair of chlorophyll molecules similar to those in the bacterial reaction center. Due to the presence of chlorophyll a, as opposed to bacteriochlorophyll, Photosystem II absorbs light at a shorter wavelength. The pair of chlorophyll molecules at the reaction center are often referred to as P680. [1]
The structure of P680 consists of a heterodimer of two distinct chlorophyll molecules, referred to as P D1 and P D2. This “special pair” forms an excitonic dimer that functions as a single unit, excited by light energy as if they were a single molecule.
The light-harvesting complex (or antenna complex; LH or LHC) is an array of protein and chlorophyll molecules embedded in the thylakoid membrane of plants and cyanobacteria, which transfer light energy to one chlorophyll a molecule at the reaction center of a photosystem. The antenna pigments are predominantly chlorophyll b, xanthophylls, and ...
The antenna complex contains hundreds of chlorophyll molecules which funnel the excitation energy to the center of the photosystem. At the reaction center, the energy will be trapped and transferred to produce a high energy molecule. [2] The main function of PSII is to efficiently split water into oxygen molecules and protons.
Chlorophyll a is a specific form of chlorophyll used in oxygenic photosynthesis. It absorbs most energy from wavelengths of violet-blue and orange-red light, and it is a poor absorber of green and near-green portions of the spectrum. [ 3 ]