Chlorophyll

Build a molecular model of Chlorophyll A with genuine Molymod components from Indigo. The chemical structure of Chlorophyll A is a magnesium-containing porphyrin-based pigment essential for photosynthesis. It consists of porphyrin which is a conjugated tetrapyrrole ring, a phytol tail with a methyl (-CH3) group at position C3 and a keto (-C=O) group at C7. It has a central magnesium ion (Mg2+) that stabilizes the porphyrin and aids in electron transfer.

The name chlorophyll is derived from the Greek meaning "green leaf" but this molecule which is fundamental to photosynthesis is found in both plants & algae & evolved very early in cyanobacteria. There are roughly 10 different types of chlorophyll, all with slight variations in chemical structure. Chlorophyll was first isolated by Joseph Bienaimé Caventou and Pierre Joseph Pelletier in 1817. Once extracted from plant material and purified, commercial uses for chlorophyll include food coloring, cosmetics, and as a sensitizer for color film.

A molecular model of Chlorophyll in the Molymod Hybrid Dome style uses the atoms & bonds in the parts list below. Our free 3D Molecular Model Builder shows other styles & allows for image rotation as an assembly guide.

Chemical data
Molecular Weight Chemical Formula
893.5026 C55H72MgN4O5

Chlorophyll molecular model built with Molymod Atoms & Bonds

Hybrid Dome
Open Sphere
Orbit Basic
Orbit Flexible
Parts
Synonyms
IUPAC Name: magnesium;methyl (3R,22S)-16-ethenyl-11-ethyl-4-hydroxy-12,17,21,26-tetramethyl-22-[3-oxo-3-[(E,7R,11R)-3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadec-2-enoxy]propyl]-23,25-diazonia-7,24-diazanidahexacyclo[18.2.1.15,8.110,13.115,18.02,6]hexacosa-1(23),2(6),4,8(26),9,11,13(25),14,16,18,20-undecaene-3-carboxylate , InChI=1S/C55H72N4O5.Mg/c1-13-39-35(8)42-28-44-37(10)41(24-25-48(60)64-27-26-34(7)23-17-22-33(6)21-16-20-32(5)19-15-18-31(3)4)52(58-44)50-51(55(62)63-12)54(61)49-38(11)45(59-53(49)50)30-47-40(14-2)36(9)43(57-47)29-46(39)56-42;/h13,26,28-33,41,51H,1,14-25,27H2,2-12H3,(H-2,56,57,58,59,61);/q-2;+2/p+2/b34-26+,42-28-;/t32-,33-,41+,51-;/m1./s1 , InChIKey: KPJIJGZVAWIZMG-LEGXGVPYSA-P , SMILES: CCC\1=C(C\2=[NH+]/C1=C\C3=C(C4=C([C@@H](C(=C4[N-]3)C5=[NH+]C(=C([C@@H]5CCC(=O)OC/C=C(\C)/CCC[C@H](C)CCC[C@H](C)CCCC(C)C)C)/C=C\6/C(=C(/C(=C2)/[N-]6)C=C)C)C(=O)OC)O)C)C.[Mg+2] , CAS: 1406-65-1 ,