Abstract
Absorption of light quanta is the precondition for any photochemical reaction and hence for photobiological phenomena. Starting with white light, one can consider a ‘black body’ the ideal absorber in a physical sense because all wavelengths (i.e. all energy levels) of the light are equally absorbed. This situation is not realized in plants, however. The actual absorbers preferentially absorb certain wavelengths of the visible light but are more or less transparent for other wavelengths. After such an absorption, the remaining light looks coloured to the human eye. The absorbers are therefore called chromophores (= carriers of colours). Molecules which have the properties of such absorbers are called pigments. These terms are used here in such a sense that the entire molecule is called pigment whereas the particular part of the molecule which absorbs light is called its chromophore.
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Further reading
Braslavsky, S. E., 1984. The photophysics and photochemistry of the plant photosensor pigment phytochrome. Pure Appl. Chem. 56, 1153–1165.
Rüdiger, W., 1980. Phytochrome, a light receptor of plant photomorphogenesis. In: Structure and Bonding 40, Hemmerich, P. ed., pp. 101–140, Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Rüdiger, W., 1983. Chemistry of the phytochrome photoconversions. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London B 303, 377–385.
Rüdiger, W. and Scheer, H., 1983. Chromophores in photomorphogenesis. In: Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, New Series, 16A, Photomorphogenesis, Shropshire, Jr., W. and Mohr, H. eds., pp. 119–151, Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Rüdiger, W., Eilfeld, P., and Thümmler, F., 1985. Phytochrome, the visual pigment of plants: chromophore structure and chemistry of photoconversion. In: Optical Properties and Structure of Tetrapyrroles Blauer, G. and Sund, H. eds., pp. 349–366, W. de Gruyter, Berlin
Schaffner, K., Braslavsky, S. E., and Holzwarth, A. R., 1985. Recent advances in the photophysics and photochemistry of small, large and native oat phytochromes. In: Optical Properties and Structure of Tetrapyrroles Blauer, G. and Sund, H. eds., pp. 367–382, W. de Gruyter, Berlin.
Scheer, H., 1981. Biliproteine, Angew. Chemie 93, 230–250.
Song, P. S., 1985b. The molecular model of phytochrome deduced from optical probes. In: Optical Properties and Structure of Tetrapyrroles, Blauer, G. and Sund, H. eds., pp. 331–348, W. de Gruyter, Berlin.
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Rüdiger, W. (1986). The chromophore. In: Kendrick, R.E., Kronenberg, G.H.M. (eds) Photomorphogenesis in plants. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2624-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2624-5_2
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