Question

Which of the following pigments shows yellow green color in chromatogram?
A. Carotenoid
B. Chlorophyll ‘b’
C. Xanthophyll
D. Chlorophyll ‘a’

Answer 1

Hint: Carotenoid, Chlorophyll and Xanthophyll are pigments and have specific color. The visible record which shows the separating components of a mixture using chromatography is a chromatogram.

Complete answer: A laboratory technique that involves the separation of the mixture is called chromatography. The fluid in which the mixture is dissolved is called the mobile phase. The fluid can be gas, solvent, and water. The mobile phase along with the mixture is fixed on a material called the stationary phase. The stationary phase can be a column, a capillary tube, a plate, or a sheet. Each constituent of the mixture has different affinities to the stationary phase. Depending on the interactions of constituents of the mixture with its surface sites the different molecules stay longer or shorter on the stationary phase. Due to the different velocity, the constituents of the mixture get separated. The separation of the constituents of the mixture depends on the differential partitioning between the mobile and the stationary phases. Carotenoid is a type of pigment produced by plants, photosynthetic bacteria, and algae. Carotenoid pigments are bright red, yellow, or orange in color. As chlorophyll, a, and b absorbs light of the blue violet region it reflects green color. Hence, the pigments chlorophyll a and b are responsible for the green color of the leaves and other parts of the stem. Xanthophyll is a pigment that occurs in yellow green in the environment. The name xanthophyll is derived from the Greek word Xanthos and Phyllon as the yellow band was seen in the chromatography of leaf pigments.
So, option C is the correct option.

Note: The presence of xanthophyll pigment in egg yolk is responsible for the yellow color of the yolk. The presence of lutein and zeaxanthin in the retina of the human eye is responsible for the yellow color of the macula lutea. As both these are xanthophylls, humans require a source of xanthophyll in their diet for the presence of macula lutea which is called the yellow spot.