Yes, chlorophyll is organic.
What is Chlorophyll?
Chlorophyll is a vital pigment found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. It's the molecule responsible for the green color of these organisms and plays a crucial role in photosynthesis, the process by which these organisms convert light energy into chemical energy.
Several sources confirm chlorophyll's organic nature:
- High Molar Absorption Coefficient: The reference stating that chlorophyll a has a peak molar absorption coefficient exceeding 105 M−1 cm−1 highlights that it's among the highest for small-molecule organic compounds. This directly indicates its organic classification.
- Found in Organic Systems: Chlorophyll is inherently found within living organisms – plants, algae, and cyanobacteria – which are all considered biological systems composed of organic matter. The Wikipedia article and Britannica entry reinforce this point.
- Commercial Availability as Organic Supplements: Amazon listings for "World Organic Chlorophyll Liquid" and "World Organics Chlorophyll Supplement Liquids" clearly market chlorophyll as an organic supplement. This suggests that chlorophyll is indeed considered organic in a commercial and consumer context.
- Use in Organic Electronics: Research on "Bioinspired Multifunctional Organic Transistors" utilizes chlorophyll as a natural biomaterial within organic semiconductors, further solidifying its classification as an organic molecule.
The fact that chlorophyll serves as a proxy for organic matter enrichment in marine environments (as noted in the study "Is chlorophyll‐a the best surrogate for organic matter enrichment...") further supports its designation as an organic compound.
In summary, various sources and its properties firmly establish chlorophyll's classification as an organic molecule.
