MOLECULE

Chlorophyll a

Chlorophyll a belongs to the class of organic compounds known as chlorins. These are large heterocyclic aromatic ring systems consisting, at the core, of three pyrroles and one pyrroline coupled through four methine linkages. Chlorophyll a is an extremely weak basic (essentially neutral) compound (based on its pKa). Chlorophyll a exists in all living organisms, ranging from bacteria to humans. This photosynthetic pigment is essential for photosynthesis in eukaryotes, cyanobacteria and prochlorophytes because of its role as primary electron donor in the electron transport chain. Different side chains characterize each type of chlorophyll molecule, and alters the absorption spectrum of light. Since the chlorophyll a molecules only capture certain wavelengths, organisms may use accessory pigments to capture a wider range of light energy shown as the yellow circles. Chlorophyll a is expected to be in Cannabis as all living plants are known to produce and metabolize it.