A solution of isolated chlorophyll fluoresces when exposed to purple light (fluorescence means it emits red light and heat energy). Intact plants do not fluoresce when exposed to purple light. Explain. (Hint: think about what happens to the free energy of electrons in chlorophyll when hit by light.)
Whenever light falls on a given substance, electrons are excited and move to the higher energy level but when the electrons move back to the ground state, then fluorescence occurs.
In the solution of chlorophyll inside lab, when it is irradiated with light, it fluoresces but chlorophyll molecules present in plants do not. It is because in the solution in lab, when the electrons are excited, they come back to the ground state and release energy in the form of fluorescence but in plants, when the electron is excited it is passed on to the other electron carriers and does not return back to the ground state. Hence plants do not show fluorescence in the presence of Sunlight.
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