Extraction of chlorophyll from leaves and analysis through chromatography - a practical schedule

A resource aimed at advanced biology students, this worksheet provides a written schedule for the extraction of chlorophyll from leaves followed by analysis via chromatography. Rf values for various pigments are included in a reference table (including chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, phaeophytin, xanthophyll and carotene); students can attach their chromatograms to the worksheet, calculate Rf values for each pigment and identify using the reference table. This is a good practical exercise to cover at the start of a topic on photosynthesis, and emphasises the fact that various pigments are responsible for harnessing light energy during the light dependent reactions.

Key words: Light dependent, chlorophyll, Rf value, chromatography, chromatogram, solvent front, extraction, leaf, phaeophytin, xanthophyll, carotene, absorption spectra, action spectrum