What is the difference between Chlorophyll A and B?

Chlorophyll A is the primary photosynthetic pigment present in plants and algae. It is the most commonly distributing type of chlorophyll. It is a green-colored pigment, which can gain energy from sunlight and produce foods in photoautotrophs. Chlorophyll B, on the contrary, is an accessory photosynthetic pigment that resides in plants and green algae. It partners with chlorophyll A by accumulating energy and passing to it.

Green pigments are similar to Chlorophyll A. It’s porphyrin ring possesses one CHO group, which does not exist in chlorophyll A. It also absorbs blue light. Chlorophyll A is abundant in the response of both photosystems. On the other hand, chlorophyll B is an accessory pigment that amasses energy. It gives it over to chlorophyll A. There is also a difference between the two in terms of scientific composition.

Chlorophyll can be simply defined and explained as a green pigment that is found in all the plants, algae, and also cyanobacteria. Chlorophyll is also very essential in obtaining energy from light. Chlorophyll A is a blue-green pigment, which is the most common and also very prominent in all the photosynthetic organisms that do evolve oxygen, which includes the following, higher plants, the red and the green algae while Chlorophyll B, on the other hand, is a yellow-green pigment which is only in plants and the green algae.

Chlorophyll A has its wavelength absorption maxima to be around 430nm and 662nm of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum which actually translates to violet and red while the Chlorophyll B on the contrast has its own wavelength absorption maxima to be about 453nm and 642nm of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum which would actually correspond to color blue and color red.