Question

I heard that magnesium is found in plants. In what form is it found in them?

Answer 1

Hint: There are several metals which are found in soil like Cu, Pb etc. Some metals are micronutrients which are essential for the growth of plants.

Complete step by step solution:
It has been seen that there are several metals which are required for the complex balance of growth and reproduction of plants. These metals are taken by plants in the form of their ions.
Once the metal ions are taken in by the plants from soil with help of their roots, they get allocated to different parts of the plant through their vascular tissues.
There are 17 essential elements which plants require and magnesium is also one of them.
Also, magnesium is consumed by the plants in the form of magnesium divalent ions.
We know that plants make food by photosynthesis with the help of chlorophyll and magnesium is the central atom of chlorophyll molecule which traps sunlight energy necessary to carry out photosynthesis.

Therefore, we can conclude that magnesium is present in plants in the form of magnesium divalent ions, and is present in chlorophyll as its central atom.

Additional information:
Magnesium which is the central atom of chlorophyll is also responsible for giving green color to the leaves.
Also, magnesium is involved in the formation of DNA and RNA.
Magnesium is an important macronutrient for the growth and development of plants.

Note: In chlorophyll, divalent magnesium ion forms a coordinate compound with many molecules of porphyrin as its ligand. They form a macromolecular ring that is stabilized by chelation.