Life · life
Chlorophyll
Pigment · Mg, N
- Numbers
- Structurally the same ring as haem, with magnesium in place of iron — the two most important pigments in biology differ by one atom.
- Kind
- Pigment
Function
The antenna. A magnesium atom at the centre of a flat nitrogen ring, absorbing red and blue light and passing the energy on to the reaction centre. It reflects green, which is why the world looks the way it does.
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