1. Why is β-carotene less polar than chlorophyll b? Mention any TWO functional groups which make chlorophyll b more polar than carotene. 2. What is the degree of unsaturation of a β-carotene molecule?
1. Why is β-carotene less polar than chlorophyll b? Mention any TWO
2. What is the degree of unsaturation of a β-carotene molecule?
Beta-carotene- an isoprenoid compound, synthesized in plants, fungi, is an accessory pigment required in photosynthesis. It contains beta rings on both it's ends. These beta rings along with the unsaturated carbon backbone present between them, makes the compound non-polar in nature.
Chlorophyll B on the other hands has more more number of carbon-oxygen bonds and carbon-nitrogen bonds, compared to beta carotene. These C-O and C-N make the compound polar due to the increased electronegativity difference between the carbon and nitrogen/oxygen atom when compared to the low electronegativity difference( as a result, lesser polarity) of the C-H bonds present in beta-carotene. Also, the magnesium ion(Mg2+) is bounded to a nitrogen atom, making an ionic bond, in beta-carotene. Both these factors contribute to making Chlorophyll B more polar than Beta-carotene.
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