Carotene
Carotenes are a type of pigment made mostly by plants. Carotenes and related chemicals called carotenoids are used to gather energy for photosynthesis and are the reason for the colour of many plants and fruits.
The name "carotene" comes from carrots. β-Carotene is the pigment that gives carrots their bright orange colour. The suffix -ene is used in chemical nomenclature for alkenes, the group of chemicals that includes carotenes.
Chemistry
[change | change source]Carotenes are normally grouped with tetraterpenes, but they can have more or less hydrogen than the normal tetraterpene formula of C40H64.
