叶绿素

葉綠素

yèlǜsù

noun #64,642

Meanings

HSK 4

叶子是绿色的，因为里面有叶绿素。

Yèzi shì lǜsè de, yīnwei lǐmian yǒu yèlǜsù.

Leaves are green because they contain chlorophyll.

HSK 7-9

秋天气温下降，叶绿素慢慢分解，叶子就露出了黄色和红色。

Qiūtiān qìwēn xiàjiàng, yèlǜsù mànmàn fēnjiě, yèzi jiù lùchū le huángsè hé hóngsè.

In autumn, as temperatures drop, chlorophyll slowly breaks down and the leaves show their yellows and reds.

memory

叶 'leaf' + 绿 'green' + 素 'pigment'. The same 素 ends 胡萝卜素 (carotene) and 花青素 (anthocyanin). Plants use chlorophyll for 光合作用 (photosynthesis).

usage

Its molecule is built around a 卟啉 (porphyrin) ring holding magnesium, close kin to the iron-holding ring in 血红蛋白 (haemoglobin).

叶 yè

绿 lǜ

素 sù