Green leaves
of Singlinde Winkler, director of the company Hesi and chemical engineer
The leaves are green and absorb sunlight through photosynthesis: we all know this. But as 
using light and why are they just green? And what they do when it's dark?
The lifeblood of plants is water, the body responsible for the stability of vegetable (thirsty plants become limp), responsible for the transport of nutrients and dilutes the salts.
Through evaporation from the surface of the leaves the water present in the medium is sucked from the roots, in a continuous flow beneficial.
Real fuel photosynthesis, water is dispersed in the light on the basic elements: hydrogen and oxygen.
The hydrogen is consumed by the plant itself, which during the process as waste material produces the oxygen we all breathe.
It seems obvious from elementary schools, but in the world are invested resources and means to artificially mimic photosynthesis and thus produce clean, limitless energy, with a series of beneficial consequences of enormous global reach that would change the course of history. Unfortunately, the results remain primitive, inefficient and expensive, far from the original model offered by Nature.
With photosynthesis life on Earth was born.
A few billion years ago the air on the planet was devoid of oxygen and life looked out timidly in the oceans in the form of microbe Elementary.
At some point, in a very very simplified one that is evolution, these tiny creatures first began to draw the energy they needed from the light, transforming carbon dioxide into sugars: the first photosynthesis.
Some creatures, such as blue algae, still behave very similar to these primitive little creatures.
The foundations of life as we know it was then thrown, and within about 3 billion years there was enough oxygen "waste" because they develop other creatures in that world still young.
The color of the plants
The plant consists of a string of cells, each of which is equipped with all the functions for live independently.
Although each cell typically belongs to a group that performs a specific function (roots, leaves, stem), in case of need there is a mutation, as a root cell that turns green (think potatoes exposed to light) or a cell of stem that becomes transformed into young white root.
The plants are for the most part externally green. If we look at the tissue under a microscope we will see various shades of emerald bead (chlorophyll), some red / orange and yellow (carotene).
We appreciate the tone data from the chlorophyll in the summer, while we see the colors given by carotene in the fall, when reabsorb chlorophyll from leaves hold office for the next spring.
Why green?
Sunlight is the result of merging the colors of the rainbow, which the eye is white.
Objects that are struck by light absorb some of the radiation and reflect another, and as a result will cover the surface of the object in question.
A yellow flower for example absorbs light radiations in full with the exception of yellow.
The plants appear green because the wavelengths of the green are less absorbed by plants: the green color will therefore be more visible on the surface.
Because of the selectivity of the chlorophyll compared to the wavelength absorbed, the areas of the leaf containing the molecule in quantities greater will appear more green than the other.
Magnesium and green leaves.
Chlorophyll is a molecule with a ring geometry rather interesting: the center is an atom of magnesium, which keeps the rigid structure, surrounded by nitrogen atoms.
From the ring part a sort of queue phytol, an alcohol to 20 carbon atoms, which serves to anchor the chlorophyll molecule to the thylakoid membranes.
This type of structure is found with a certain frequency in nature and is used to keep the energy avoiding dispersion.
The hemoglobin or vitamin B12, found in the body, are elements with a similar composition.
Magnesium is the pivotal point that determines the color green, that's why when there is something lack the leaves turn yellow, starting from the older the plant sacrifices to try to sustain the new ones.
This particular permits the distinction of Magnesium deficiency by the lack of nitrogen, in which the entire plant becomes yellow, younger parts are included.
The plant life is marked by cycles of light
Anyone who has ever grown under artificial lights knows how important it is to give plants the light they need to get the results so anelati.
For example, if we give 18 hours of light per day, most of the plants grow lush, but never without bloom.
By shortening the days of our guests 12 hours give you the impression that both have occurred in the autumn and then it's time to flower.
Furthermore, the energy accumulated during daylight is not enough: it is necessary that the plants have an adequate dark period to process it, as if during the day are stowed the "ingredients", it is at night that these are used for real and proper construction of the plant (pictured on this page: some Vallisneria plants produce bubbles of oxygen during photosynthesis. Picture above: the chlorophyll molecule)
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