ChlorophyllChlorophyll is any of several related photochemical catalysts and green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρός (khloros, "pale green") and φύλλον (phyllon, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy from light.
PlastoquinonePlastoquinone (PQ) is a terpenoid-quinone (meroterpenoid) molecule involved in the electron transport chain in the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. The most common form of plastoquinone, known as PQ-A or PQ-9, is a 2,3-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone molecule with a side chain of nine isoprenyl units.
Photosynthetic reaction centreA photosynthetic reaction center is a complex of several proteins, biological pigments, and other co-factors that together execute the primary energy conversion reactions of photosynthesis. The reaction center is one part of a photosystem, together with the light-harvesting complex.
Electron transport chainAn electron transport chain (ETC) is a series of protein complexes and other molecules which transferelectrons from electron donors to electron acceptors via redox reactions (both reduction and oxidation occurring simultaneously) and couples this electron transfer with the transfer of protons (H ions) across a membrane. Many of the enzymes in the electron transport chain are embedded within the membrane.
Purple bacteriaPurple bacteria or purple photosynthetic bacteria are Gram-negativeproteobacteria that are phototrophic, capable of producing their own food via photosynthesis. They are pigmented with bacteriochlorophylla or b, together with various carotenoids, which give them colours ranging between purple, red, brown, and orange. They may be divided into two groups – purple sulfur bacteria (Chromatiales, in part) and purple non-sulfur bacteria.EtymologyEtymology ( ET-ih-MOL-ə-jee) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century, as a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become an increasingly rigorous scientific field of study.
Photosystem IIPhotosystem II (or water-plastoquinone oxidoreductase) is the first protein complex in the light-dependent reactions of oxygenic photosynthesis. It is located in the thylakoid membrane of plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Within the photosystem, enzymes capture photons of light to energize electrons that are then transferred through a variety of coenzymes and cofactors to reduce plastoquinone to plastoquinol.QuinoneThe quinones are a class of organic compounds that are formally "derived from aromatic compounds [such as benzene or naphthalene] by conversion of an even number of –CH= groups into –C(=O)– groups with any necessary rearrangement of double bonds", resulting in "a fully conjugated cyclic dione structure". The archetypical member of the class is 1,4-benzoquinone or cyclohexadienedione, often called simply "quinone" (thus the name of the class).
Chemical compoundA chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element is therefore not a compound. A compound can be transformed into a different substance by a chemical reaction, which may involve interactions with other substances.
PlantPlants are the eukaryotic organisms that constitute the kingdomPlantae(/'plænteɪ/). They are predominantly photosynthetic or came from photosynthetic ancestors, meaning that they obtain their energy from sunlight by using the green pigment chlorophyll in their chloroplasts to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water. Over the course of time, some plants have evolved to be parasitic, meaning they take energy from other organisms.
Acid strengthAcid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbolised by the chemical formulaHA, to dissociate into a proton, H, and an anion, A. The dissociation or ionization of a strong acid in solution is effectively complete, except in its most concentrated solutions. HA → H + AExamples of strong acids are hydrochloric acid (HCl), perchloric acid (HClO4), nitric acid (HNO3) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4).*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.