Topic 15 - Energy from the sun II Flashcards
What are the 3 basic light-harvesting pigments?
Chlorophylls, Carotenoids and Bilins
Why are chlorophylls soluble in the membrane?
The hydrophobic R chain -> phytyl side chain
What colour do chlorophylls absorb?
Red and blue, so appear green
Why are these molecules able to capture light?
The conjugated double bond system gives the molecule the ability to capture light -> optically active
- pi bonding orbitals
Which pi orbitals are usually occupied and which are not?
LUMO = Lowest unoccupied molecular orbital -> pi* HOMO = Highest occupied molecular orbital -> pi
What is the role of the antenna chlorophylls and carotenoids?
They feed the reaction centre with excitation energy
What are the requirements for excited state energy funnelling by FRET in the reaction centre?
The antenna molecules have to be close together
There has to be an overlap between the donor and acceptor spectra
