A scientist separates plant pigments from leaf, root, and stem samples by paper chromatography. All the leaf chromatographs include yellow green and blue green spots but none of the root and only a few of the stem chromatographs have these green spots. Many of the samples have yellow, orange, red, or purple spots.
What is the scientist trying to do/learn?
I was thinking about the chlorophyll.. but i had no ideas on the last sentence "Many of the samples have yellow, orange, red, or purple spots."..
Any help will be appreciated.
Thank You =]
The scientist is using paper chromatography to separate and analyze plant pigments present in different parts of the plant samples (leaves, roots, and stems).
The presence of yellow-green and blue-green spots in the chromatographs primarily indicates the presence of chlorophyll pigments. Chlorophyll is responsible for the green color in plants and is essential for photosynthesis.
However, the fact that only some stem chromatographs have these green spots and none of the root chromatographs have them suggests that the distribution of chlorophyll pigments varies among different parts of the plant. This difference in pigments distribution may be due to variations in the functions and roles of different plant tissues.
The presence of yellow, orange, red, or purple spots in many of the chromatographs indicates the presence of other pigments apart from chlorophyll. These pigments are called accessory pigments. They include carotenoids (yellow, orange, and red pigments) and anthocyanins (purple pigments). These pigments have different functions, such as protecting the plant from excessive sunlight and acting as antioxidants.
Therefore, by analyzing the chromatographs, the scientist is trying to understand the distribution and composition of different pigments in different plant tissues. This information can provide insights into the role and functionality of these pigments in different parts of the plant.