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Interpretation:
The reason for the appearance of fall foliage colors is to be determined.
Concept introduction:
Chlorophyll appears to be green in color as it absorbs all the components of white light and reflects green color the most.
Accessory pigments appear to be red, yellow, or brown in color as they absorb these colors to the least amount.
The main criterion for a substance to appear a particular color is the wavelength of the light that is absorbed to the least significant amount. The wavelength of that light will correspond to the color of the substance.
Answer to Problem 1RE
Solution: When a leaf falls, the amount of chlorophyll present in the leaf is lost and thus other colors of the accessory pigments are visible.
Explanation of Solution
The chlorophyll contains a pigment that absorbs all the other colors except the green color coming from the white light. Hence, it appears green in color. When a leaf falls from a plant, the chlorophyll content of the leaf is lost and the other pigments, which are the accessory pigments, become visible. This is due to the fact that these accessory pigments absorb all the other colors except red, brown, or yellow. Hence, these colors become visible after the detachment of a leaf from the plant. The accessory pigments vary from plant to plant and from different parts of the country due to change in the climatic conditions.
After the detachment of a leaf from the plant, the chlorophyll content of the leaf is lost and the colors of the accessory pigments are visible.
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Chapter 22 Solutions
Biochemistry
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BiochemistryBiochemistryISBN:9781305961135Author:Mary K. Campbell, Shawn O. Farrell, Owen M. McDougalPublisher:Cengage Learning